Tulsa family seeks justice after beloved dogs fatally shot near park

A Tulsa family is demanding answers after they say two of their dogs were shot and killed over the weekend in a neighborhood park.

The incident happened Saturday near the intersection of Lewis Avenue and Apache Street, near a playground and Anderson Elementary School.

Ramone Smith, the dogs' owner, said his pets escaped from the yard and were missing for less than an hour when the shooting occurred. Security camera footage from Smith’s home captured the sound of a gunshot and one of the dogs yelping in distress. The footage shows the animals alone in the park at the time of the incident.

“If you look in the video, the dog was right here,” Smith said while pointing to the area in the footage. “I finally get him to come from out the bush, and he's bleeding from the side, and then the female had something hanging from her stomach. It was a shock.”

Smith said he and his family were devastated by the loss. “I'm very upset right now. We all loved the dogs—my daughters loved the dogs,” he said.

Smith believes one of his neighbors may be responsible, based on what was captured on his security cameras. The man Smith suspects has not been charged with a crime.

The neighbor told News On 6 that the dogs had previously entered his yard and behaved aggressively.

“They attacked my wife inside my yard,” the neighbor said. “She’s got lucky she didn't get hurt. I got three kids.”

Still, Smith argues the dogs posed no threat when they were shot.

“You can’t shoot across a busy street, into a park, next to a school, if the dogs weren’t bothering you,” Smith said.

Tulsa police responded and took a report, but as of Monday, an investigator had not been assigned to the case.

Authorities say Smith could be cited for allowing the dogs to escape. While Oklahoma law allows residents to protect themselves from aggressive animals, officials noted that firing a weapon in public, especially if a dog is not actively threatening someone, could result in criminal charges.