Advertisement Family’s dog shot, killed by deputy serving warrant on neighbor Woman says dog was gentle, ‘wouldn’t hurt a fly’ Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Greenville County woman says her heart is broken after she watched her pet dog, Chico, shot several times by a deputy who was serving a search warrant on a neighbor’s house.Marissa Gilliland said her husband was working on a car outside their home on Monday, and when she heard a commotion outside, she went out with Chico, who she says was always by her side.She said Chico was a friendly dog who loved everyone. She said Chico ran over to the deputies in a “friendly way” with no growling or barking, and he would have sniffed them and given them his paw if he had a chance. But she said one of the deputies fired his gun, hitting the 10-month-old dog in the leg, breaking the bone.Gilliland said Chico tried to run back to her, but the deputy fired several more shots, killing the dog. She said two shots missed Chico, but she thinks six shots were fired, most from behind the dog as he ran toward her. She said the shots were fired when the dog was in her yard.Master Deputy Drew Pinciaro said in an emailed statement, “It is not our intent or practice to use deadly force on animals. In this situation, the dog came at the deputy in an aggressive manner while he was serving a search warrant and that is why he shot the dog. Due to the dog being aggressive and unrestrained, that is why he used the level of force he did.”Pinciaro did not provide any details about the shooting from the deputy’s perspective.Gilliland was barely able to speak through tears on Tuesday.“I have never been this hurt in my life,” she said. “Other people say, ‘He is just a dog,’ but he wasn’t. He was my best friend. My everything. He was family.”Gilliland, who does not have children, says she loved Chico like a son.“I can’t take this pain anymore,” she said. “I am hurting so bad. My heart is broken.”