Family says deputy killed family dog while responding to a disturbance

A deputy with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a harassment complaint at a residence on Cheryl Street in Ville Platte on October 28 and left the family of the residence looking for answers after he shot a 12-pound rat terrier.
In his initial complaint report, the deputy stated the complainant Ron Sullivan “came outside to talk with me and along came the house dog charging at me in an aggressive manner and grabbing at my leg and my boots.”
The deputy went on to report that he swung the dog away with his baton on two occasions before he “fired one shot with my hand gun and killing the dog.”
“I know in my heart he didn’t have to shoot her. He didn’t have to shoot that dog in front of my kids. He just didn’t,” said Kelli Sullivan. “The dog got out. I walked to the end of the driveway to try to catch her. My daughter was running around trying to catch her. I thought we were going to go back in the house. I walked back to the house opened the door, turned around, (and) boom, he shot her. It was a horrific event. He shot the dog up close and blew her skull apart in front of my children. Like her eyeballs were out of her head.”
The deputy acknowledged in his report, “Mr. Sullivan stated to me that he didn’t think I was going to kill his dog, but he knew I did it in self-defense.”