Fatal Dog Shooting by Deputy Ignites Community Outcry and Calls for Accountability

St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King says it’s not how anyone wants things to go. Maggie Meldrum says judging by the bodycam video, it seemed to be exactly how Deputy Daniel Jehl wanted things to go. Both parties placing blame on the other, while the community grapples with a graphic video that depicts a very tragic end to a beloved family dog named Rocko.

It all started with a routine call for two loose dogs running around an Algonac, MI neighborhood three weeks ago. Deputy Jehl responded in his patrol unit with his body cam running. Upon making initial contact with the two furry friends, the deputy is shown in the video footage attempting to corral both animals in the backyard of a residence. The deputy can be heard whistling to the dogs and calling to them in a friendly manner.

At some point, a neighbor gives Deputy Jehl some peanut butter on a plate to entice the pair of mischievous pooches. Now armed with his service weapon and a creamy treat, Deputy Jehl again begins calling to both dogs, while also presenting the plate with the peanut butter in his left hand. As both dogs cautiously approach the deputy, at some point he unholsters his service weapon and holds it in his right hand.

What happens next is a source of contention between Rocko’s owner and the St. Clair County Sheriff Department.

Deputy Jehl claims in his report that Rocko charged him.

Body cam footage shows Rocko being called by the deputy and offered the peanut butter.

Final result being two rounds discharged from the department’s standard issue .45, both striking Rocko point blank range, instantly killing him.

It appears in the video that Deputy Jehl was afraid of Rocko, or his companion, and reacted to normal canine behavior with extreme lethal force. Animal Control had been advised of the situation and was enroute to the location to take the lead in capturing the loose dogs. Had Deputy Jehl restrained himself to securing the animals in the backyard they were in; this situation could have been avoided completely. While the fence in the video did not encompass the entire yard, the dogs were in an area that would have allowed Deputy Jehl to keep them secure until Animal Control arrived.

In a statement read at last night’s Algonac City Council meeting, Sheriff King informed attendees that while Deputy Jehl did not violate any department policies with his use of fatal force against Rocko, he has been reassigned to a new patrol area in an effort to ease tensions in the community.

Maggie’s best friend Nissa Gefrerer says that’s not enough. She’d like to see the deputy disciplined and required to undergo additional training geared towards dealing with animals. Both women have a protest planned this Saturday at the Algonac boardwalk.

“I thought Mat King actually cared” said Gefrerer.

Click here to donate to Rocko’s GoFundMe