NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Since September, the Davidson County District Attorney's Office remained mum on whether it would charge a man accused of shooting a dog in Percy Warner Park.
It decided Thursday it would not.
“In the case of the German Shepherd shot in Percy Warner Park in September, our office investigated the scene and interviewed and re-interviewed all known witnesses. Based on the applicable law, no charges will be filed.”
The German Shepherd named Duke was shot and killed at Percy Warner Park in September. The dog was running loose without a leash, which violated park rules. That was when a man said he felt threatened shot and killed the dog.
Others in the park who during the shooting said the dog posed no serious threat and was friendly. Metro police arrived on scene, questioned the man and he left. No charges were filed at the time.
There was a public outcry, and since then members of the Davidson County District Attorney's office started looking into what happened.
Today's decision simply means there was not the evidence to bring charges and a successful prosecution.
Why?
In a nutshell, investigators could find no one who witnessed the actual shooting of the dog.
The only person who could say what led to the shooting was the shooter himself.
There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.
-Lelan Statom
