Burglar shoots and kills dog inside Midtown home
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police say an intruder broke into a Midtown home Friday afternoon and shot and killed a family pet inside.
The burglar kicked in the back door of the house in the 900 block of South Willett Street, just off Crump.
Jeremy Smith said his five-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier named Brody likely heard the commotion, came downstairs, and was shot two times. Smith found the dog an hour later when he returned from work.
'I went to my front door. I saw my dog lying on the ground,' said Smith. 'I saw the blood on the ground, then I saw my back door was wide open.'
Smith said someone moved in the direction of the security camera outside their back door. While the video doesn't show anything, you can hear the gunshots and the dog yelp.
The break-in happened around 1:30 p.m. while a large construction crew was renovating a house just two doors away.
'My wife works from home on Fridays. By the grace of God, she had the urge to go to Starbucks and work from Starbucks today,' said Smith. 'Any given Friday, she would have been home around this time.'
He said the burglars ransacked an office on the first floor of the home and stole a gun. Police spent the afternoon collecting evidence, but Smith said he was disappointed by MPD's response time.
'I understand the zip code we stay in isn't as fluent as Central Gardens, but Central Gardens is two streets over from us. There shouldn't be an hour-and-a-half arrival time for the police, and when someone says the house has been broken into and my dog has been shot and killed. I'm not armed, can somebody please help me secure my house.'
Smith said his oldest son grew up with the dog, and he never expected anything like this to happen on his street. He said he's concerned about his family's safety and wants to know that his neighborhood is being monitored and protected.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump plays to MAGA base with return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia: Cuomo
(NewsNation) — The Trump administration's about-face in returning Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia to face charges of human trafficking in the U.S. is simply the latest strategy to get political mileage from the deportation saga, Chris Cuomo says. 'Trump wants this issue because it works for him,' he says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Vehicle fire shuts down portion of S. King Street
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A portion of S. King Street was closed due to a vehicle fire, the Honolulu Police Department said in an HNL Alert. The public was first notified about the fire at approximately 3:30 p.m. on June 6. Traffic was being rerouted to Isenburg Street. Officials are urging the public to avoid the area. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mom wants answers after Miami rapper gunned downed in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The mother of a rising rapper who was gunned down in Memphis wants to know why he was killed and wants police to catch all the people responsible. Toya Redwing is talking for the first time about her son's death on March 22 near the FedEx Forum. 1 dead, 1 injured in shooting downtown Letorian Hunt, 27, also known as Sayso P, was shot and killed outside the Westin Hotel. Houston Rapper Sauce Walka, whose real name is Albert Walker Mondane, was also wounded when at least three people jumped out of a white Charger and opened fire. Redwing said her son was born and raised in Memphis but lived in Miami. He was in town to visit a sick relative and had been looking forward to coming home. He had only been at the hotel a couple of days before the shooting. 'I want to know who did this. I want to know who sent them. This is what I told the detectives. These boys didn't do this on their own, at least I don't think so,' said Redwing. 'I don't think he was the intended target.' Shortly after the shooting, the 2021 Dodge Charger 392 Scat Pack was recovered, and police issued a warrant for Jayden Dandridge, 21, for first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. Last week, Dandridge was found dead in Houston. His death was ruled a homicide. 'I was pretty much numb. I didn't cry or grieve for him. He killed my son, and I still want answers,' Redwing said. 'I can't get to the bottom of it if they are all dead.' Redwing said her son wanted to leave Memphis because of the violence. She said he had opened a recording studio in Miami and recently signed a distribution deal with Sauce Walka's record label. Suspect in downtown Memphis shooting found dead in Houston: MPD She said Hunt was kind and generous, always had a smile on his face, and was finally realizing his dreams. Redwing said her son was her best friend, and the pain of his loss has been unlike anything she has experienced before. 'The fact that he won't ever have children. I won't know what my grandkids look like. I won't know if he will have beautiful little daughters or little boys,' said Redwing. 'Watching his growth from a young boy to the man he had become was amazing.' Redwing said Memphis police are currently outmanned and outgunned. She hopes the FBI will step in, as promised, to help, but believes people in the community also need to get involved to stop the crime. The rapper's mom said she would like to start a foundation to help other mothers dealing with the same kind of grief. She also wants to provide resources to young people who are falling through the cracks and committing these acts of violence. 'I've heard, why do you care about them. Screw them. Those people killed your kid,' said Redwing. 'I can't say that with a straight face and be me. They need to be held accountable, but I do know a lot of these kids want a way out.' Redwing said she wants to do something to keep her son's memory alive and show that his life mattered. Hunt was buried at sea in Miami. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
