A retired St. Louis County Police sergeant who says he shot an aggressive dog in self-defense was charged Tuesday with animal abuse, and he has no idea why.
Barry Armfield, 62 of the block of Spring Meadows Drive, was charged Tuesday in St. Louis County Circuit Court with a misdemeanor count of animal abuse.
Manchester Police said Armfield shot a neighbor’s 40 pound Blue Heeler mix, named Ruger, at Armfield’s home about 8:30 p.m. Skaggs said the dog had run loose in the neighborhood before but there had been no reports of it biting anyone.
Armfield said in an interview Tuesday that he shot Ruger after it surprised and cornered him at the opening of his garage as he was unloading his truck after a camping trip. Armfield said he picked up his .40-caliber handgun off a table in his garage and fired once because the dog was growling and barking at him and wouldn’t go away.
The dog died later at a veterinary hospital. A police report of the incident says officers smelled alcohol on Armfield’s breath and also found a blood trail that indicated the dog was shot toward the center of Armfield’s driveway, not by the garage door.
Armfield formerly worked for the St. Louis County Police Department for over 30 years retiring as a sergeant.
