Man shot neighbors dog, said it was out of self-defense

Posted: Jul 20, 2015 / 10:55 PM CDT

Updated: Jul 20, 2015 / 10:55 PM CDT

CROPWELL, Ala. (WIAT) — A man shot his neighbor’s dog. He said it was out of self-defense, but the dog owner said the animal wasn’t violent.

Now, those owners have gone public with their anger.

Signs are all over the Sorrels front yard in St. Clair County. The signs say “Dog Murderer” and “Beware of Neighbors.”

“This is our way of speaking out and telling people this isn’t ok, this isn’t ok for them to kill our dog,” Kathy Sorrels said.

We spoke with the man who is being accused of killing the dog. He says the dog came into his yard while he was getting the mail and acted aggressively.

“The dog gets in a crouched position with his teeth showing and that’s when I shot the dog and he was in my driveway,” Leonard Turner said.

“He just shot him, and he’s my neighbor and he never told me once that any of my dogs were bothering him ever,” Sorrels said

Leonard Turner told us he had felt threatened by the Sorrels family’s dogs before so he started carrying a weapon when he went outside.

“I’m sorry I had to kill the dog I hate it happened but I can’t go back and change it and if I did I’d probably have to go back and shoot it again I mean I know I would,” Turner said.

A report has been filed with the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and they are looking into it.