Dog shot by state trooper during homeless sweep in Tulsa dies after surgery

State troopers shot a dog during a homeless enforcement action in Tulsa, and the dog died later after surgery.

Friday, September 5th 2025, 6:29 pm

By: Emory Bryan

TULSA, Okla. -

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer shot a dog Friday morning during an operation to clear homeless camps in Tulsa. The dog later died after surgery.

The dog's owner, Malachi McCullough, said he was camping behind the Tulsa County Jail and asleep about 7 a.m.

"I woke up to a gunshot, and next thing a friend told me my dog had been shot. I jumped up and jumped out trying to save my dog, and started screaming at them, 'Why did you do this to my dog?'"

McCullough said with no one offering help for the animal, he rushed it to the nearby Tulsa Day Center, where staff members got it to a veterinarian, according to Mack Haltom, the Director of the Day Center.

Sarah Stewart, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, said troopers "encountered an aggressive dog that suddenly lunged toward them. The nearest trooper was forced to take immediate action, firing a single shot to stop the attack."

The governor ordered a targeted enforcement action in Tulsa of the law against camping on state property, complaining the City of Tulsa wasn't doing enough.

Along 13th Street, underneath the overpasses for the IDL, James Ervin said he was returning from work Friday afternoon to find the Highway Patrol at his campsite.

"Apparently, that's state property, so the highway patrol said the governor told them to come out here and move us out," he said. "They said he wasn't getting along with the mayor, and we needed to move, and I said OK. They were decent about it and gave us some time to move out."

Ervin said he's on a waiting list for housing, but while moving his belongings in a wagon, he said he wasn't sure he would spend the night.

"I'm still going out for housing, but I don't know where I'm going to stay for the moment," he said.

Emory Bryan

Emory Bryan is a general assignment reporter for News On 6. He began his news career covering the school board for his hometown radio station and worked on the newspaper staff in college before making the switch to television. Emory joined the News On 6 team in 1994.