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SHEFFIELD, Ala. - Police in northwest Alabama have been under intense social media pressure to do something about photos showing a man holding a gun to a dog's head.

The photos were posted last weekend. Sheffield Police Chief Greg Ray said he started getting calls at home on Sunday, September 4 about local people who were outraged, calling police about this.

Even Chief Ray called the pictures shocking.

“The puppy was in his lap, pointing a gun to the puppy's head. There were some comments made that you know I certainly don’t want to give out over the air that was on his Facebook page. It was just nauseating what you saw,” explained Chief Ray.

He assigned two investigators to the case on Tuesday. They identified the man, and even confirmed through family members it was him. Police now confirm the man is Zachary Wade Moore, Jr. They currently don't have warrants for his arrest, but want to question him.

Police in Belmont, Missississippi spoke with Zachary Wade Moore about the incident, and he's apologized in a video posted to Facebook. Please read this update.

The pictures have been trending on Facebook all week, and police have been bombarded with calls and social media posts pressuring them to arrest the man.

Chief Ray acknowledges this, but said earlier this week it was tough to determine facts in the case, including where the photos were taken, if in fact the gun was real, and if a crime was committed.

“Is this a criminal act? Certainly it shocks the soul if you will, but is it criminal? I hope it is, I think it is, but that will certainly be up to a prosecutor to tell us that,” Ray stated.

Chief Ray hopes to get more of those facts and present their evidence to the district attorney’s office for a final judgment on whether or not to charge the man who posted the pictures.

Florence Police are helping with the investigation, in case the incident actually happened inside their jurisdiction.

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