NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A Southwest Florida woman wants answers as to why a Lee County Deputy shot her 6-year-old pit bull on her driveway.
The incident happened on Biscayne Drive, Wednesday afternoon. Ashley McCarthy described her pet, Marley's, final moments. "She was just out of it. You could see swelling where her eye was, where there bad blood and pressure building up," she said through tears. "We had to put her to sleep because she wasn't going to have any quality of life anymore."
According to McCarthy and the Lee County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to her home because someone noticed McCarthy's front door was open.
McCarthy was at work at the time, but said when she arrived, Marley was bleeding on her driveway. A bullet was lodged into her head. "He told me the dog tried to bite him, so he shot her. He shot her right in her head, between her ear and her eye."
Neighbors, however, said they did not hear barking or struggle before the shot went off. McCarthy said her pet was not aggressive and did not find any signs of struggle. "There were no marks on him, no physical damage on his clothes or his shoes, where he said he got bit." she said.
Now McCarthy wants to know if the sheriff's office is investigating the incident and whether the shooting was justified. She believes the deputy was scared only because of Marley's breed. "When it's one of the cops dogs, when one of these Sergeant dogs gets shot, it's a felony, everyone gets in trouble. But when it's one of my dogs, nobody cares because it's just a pit bull."
The Sheriff's office sent the following statement, but did not elaborate on whether the shooting is under investigation:
"On Wednesday February 7, 2018, Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to 1190 Biscayne Drive, Cape Coral in reference to an open front door. Upon approach, two aggressive Pit Bull canines exited the residence toward deputies. One of our deputies attempted to shield himself with a vehicle in order to avoid contact with the canine. The canine then bit the deputy. The deputy then discharged his firearm, fatally wounding the canine."
4 In Your Corner has requested dash cam video to review the incident.
