$500,000 Settlement Awarded After Police Officer Fatally Shoots Deaf and Blind Family Dog

Nov 19, 2025 04:13 pm CST

A Missouri city has agreed to pay $500,000 to Nicholas Hunter after a police officer fatally shot his deaf and blind Shih Tzu named Teddy. The landmark settlement, one of the largest of its kind for a police shooting of a family pet, comes after the officer shot the harmless dog that had wandered into a neighbor's property. The case has sparked discussions about proper police training for animal encounters and constitutional rights violations.