A Mississippi family’s dog was found dead, and a neighbor’s video footage has allegedly shown the pet being attacked by an 11-year-old boy.
Police in Petal received a call on Monday at around 3 p.m. about an incident involving a dog being attacked, as reported by Action News 5. An eyewitness neighbor had recorded a video showing a young boy assaulting the leashed dog with a stick.
The dog’s owner, Roberts, expressed shock and dismay, stating that the boy deliberately targeted their pet and fatally beat it. Roberts described the attack as brutal and premeditated.
The juvenile perpetrator has been taken into custody and is facing charges of aggravated animal cruelty in connection with the family dog’s death. However, due to the offender’s young age, legal proceedings will not treat him as an adult.
WDAM 7 reported that the child was under the supervision of his grandmother, who has also been charged with neglect.
“She apparently was unable to provide adequate supervision of a child that age, which led to a delinquent act by the child,” said Petal Police Department Detective Daniel Klem.
Roberts is petitioning for stronger protections under Senate Bill 2261, also known as “Buddy’s Law.” The law requires a psychiatric evaluation when a domesticated animal has been tortured or killed by a child.
“We want these kids and other people to be held accountable for what they’ve done,” Roberts said. “He did that to our dog, and I don’t know what he can do to other animals or, in the future, to human beings.”
[Feature Photo: SS via Action News 5]
