The Kaufman County Sheriff will not release the outcome of the investigation after the officer shot and killed the family dog

KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas – The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office said it has completed an investigation into whether a deputy acted appropriately when he shot a dog while responding to a domestic call.

However, the sheriff’s office did not disclose whether that deputy was punished and is withholding the findings from the public.

Body camera footage from the March 26 incident shows a Kaufman County sheriff’s deputy responding to a domestic call at a home on Joyce Road around 6:45 a.m

Seconds after the deputy walked through the front gate, he identified himself before shooting the family dog ​​after it jumped on him from a porch.

FOX 4 is not showing the seconds after the shooting in which the dog’s screams can be heard.

Heather Thomas’ dog, Loki, died in the shooting.

“I still don’t have a degree,” she said. “In my eyes, if they don’t let me know, nothing at all will be done.”

In April, the sheriff’s office provided the body camera footage to FOX 4 after we requested it. Not all departments make footage easily accessible. The sheriff’s office was transparent.

At the time, it told FOX 4 that it was “conducting a thorough investigation to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident and will take appropriate action if necessary.”

The sheriff’s office is now refusing to release the results of its investigation.

“I really just want to know the truth about what’s going on with the officer,” Thomas said.

In a statement to FOX 4, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said, “After a thorough investigation, the matter regarding the dog shooting has been closed. However, we do not announce any disciplinary actions against employees. The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to maintaining accountability and ensuring the safety and well-being of all involved.”

Alex Del Carmen is associate dean of criminology at Tarleton State University. He says the sheriff’s office doesn’t do a good job when it comes to transparency.

“They are only interested in one thing and that was the final decision and the remedy provided. This is it,” he said. “There is the right thing, the ethical thing. What police departments should do in the context of best practice. On the other hand, there is the legal component of whether or not the lawyers working for this entity allow them to do all of these things.

When FOX 4 asked again, a spokesperson said, “The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office will not be releasing any further information regarding this incident due to potential litigation.”

Thomas hasn’t filed a lawsuit, but she hasn’t ruled it out.

“I don’t have an official lawyer at all,” she said. “Nothing like that. Nothing.”

Nothing will bring her dog back, but Thomas says she wants transparency.

“If he needs to take courses or something else in the future to learn how to deal with these situations, then that’s good. Something would be done,” she said.