A man in Memphis, Tennessee, was shot dead by his dog after his pet accidentally reached out to his gun while he jumped into the bed, police said Wednesday, March 12.
The man slept with his female partner and injured his left thigh in the early Monday morning incident and was treated in the hospital.
According to the police incident, the one-year-old bulldog, named Oreo, “tucked his claws into the trigger guard and eventually hit the trigger.” There was no specified type of weapon involved, but authorities classified the shooting as “accidental injury.”
Even though gun violence is common in the United States, animal cases of gun release are still rare. In 2022, a German Shepherd in Kansas fatally shot and killed a 30-year-old man after stomping on a rifle. Similarly, in 2018, a Bulldog mixture in Iowa shot in the legs.
Local news station FOX 13 Memphis quoted the Tennessee victim’s girlfriend, who was not confirmed, saying she fell asleep when the gun was discharged from the hospital. “This dog is a playful dog, he likes to jump around and things like that, it just fell off,” she said.
In reflecting on the incident, she stressed the importance of gun safety: “Keep safe or use a trigger lock.”
