Louisiana police officer arrested after shooting woman's dog

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A Louisiana police officer has been arrested after shooting a dog Sunday afternoon.
A video began circulating Monday, June 2, on Facebook depicting a dog being shot by a Cullen, Louisiana, police officer. The video was graphic and showed the owners close proximity to the firearm being discharged.
Webster Parish Sheriff's Office arrested Reginald Ferguson, 54, Tuesday, June 3, after an investigation was initiated.
Ferguson was acting as a reserve police officer for Cullen on June 1. According to Webster Sheriff's Office, Ferguson was not commissioned at the time of the shooting.
"When he shot those two shots, they were very close proximity to the dog's owner," Sheriff Jason Parker said. "It could have been a lot worse, if that lady would have been struck by one of those bullets."
The Shreveport Times sat down with dog owner, Deshanna Wortham, who described the events of that terrifying encounter.
Wortham said on Sunday, June 1, she was cooking in her kitchen when she heard a knock on the door.
"I seen a car parked in the road," she said. "So, I thought it was one of my children who didn't want to pull in the driveway."
She said she went outside, and her dog, Tank, followed. When she got outside, Ferguson was standing in her yard yelling, "Get that dog back."
Wortham asked the officer to please get in his car so she could put Tank away, but that is when Ferguson's voice got high pitched. Following that interaction, she immediately began filming on her phone.
"Thank God I did," she said.
This video contains violence.
Shortly after she began filming, Tank ran around the fence barking and got between her and Ferguson.
"He took out his gun and just pointed it at him," Wortham said. "I'm like, 'You could have just obeyed me and got in your car, let me put my dog up, and I could have seen what you come over here for.'"
Tank was shot in the shoulder, and bullet fragments were found in his leg. As of Monday afternoon, Tank was still being evaluated and likely was going to lose his leg.
Wortham said Ferguson could have easily shot her.
"I'm standing like four feet away from him," she said. "The bullet could have ricocheted, anything could have went wrong."
Following the shooting, Wortham went inside her home to take care of Tank, and Ferguson called for backup. Once other officers arrived on scene, Ferguson requested that Wortham come outside.
She went outside, and Ferguson said he was going to arrest her. Wortham immediately went back inside and locked the door.
"They finally left," she said.
It is still unclear why Ferguson came to Wortham's home in the first place.
Ferguson was arrested Tuesday morning for illegal use of a weapon, a felony. According to Parker, this charge was determined after detectives collected evidence and body cam footage.
Statue 14:94 reads, "illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities is the intentional or criminally negligent discharging of any firearm... where it is foreseeable that it may result in death or great bodily harm to a human being."
"You better know exactly where that bullet is going to go and have a very good reason to do so," Parker said.
Ferguson was booked into Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Facility with a bond set at $25,000.
This is not the first time Ferguson has been arrested. In 2022, he was arrested on five charges for simple cruelty to animals and three charges for aggravated felony cruelty to animals.
In that case, Webster Parish Sheriff's Office located two dead horses on his property, and several other horses with their ribs and bones showing.
The Shreveport Times has reached out to Cullen Police Department but has not received a response.
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Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana police officer arrested after shooting a dog