The city of Sturgeon, in Missouri, United States, and one of its police officers reached a settlement agreement $500,000 in compensation with the owner of Teddya six-kilogram Shih Tzu dog, blind and deaf, who died after being shot by the officer.
The event that led to the lawsuit occurred on May 19, 2024, when a neighbor found Teddy in her backyard after running away from home. The neighbor called the local police, who also handle animal control in Sturgeon.
The officer’s body camera footage Myron Woodson shows that he tried, for around three minutes, to secure the animal with a capture pole – rope. However, the officer shot Teddy at close range.
Teddy was deaf and blind and posed no threat to the officer. Photo: Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF).The dog, small in size and with sensory disabilities, did not represent a threat to the officer or third parties, as detailed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)organization partially funded the litigation through a grant.
The case that shocked Sturgeon and sparked a national debate about the use of police force against animals
The federal lawsuit was filed in May 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Attorneys Daniel J. Kolde and Eric C. Crinnian represented Nicholas Hunterowner of Teddy, and claimed more than a million dollars for an alleged violation of rights under the Fourth Amendment of the United States.
As detailed by ALDF, in August 2025 a motion for summary judgment was filed that incorporated statements from witnesses, including Hunter; the agent who fired the shot; and city representatives, including Sgt. Thomas Crawford and municipal lawyers.
The lawsuit documents stressed administrative deficiencies: The city ordinance entrusts police with animal control duties, and the city provided a trapping pole and signed an agreement with Boone County for limited support.
However, Sturgeon did not inform or train the officer about the agreement, nor did he teach him how to use the equipment provided, according to the lawsuit. In addition, the city would have failed to supervise and punish the agent despite the fact that he accumulated citizen complaints for previous behavior.
Officer Myron Woodson tried, for about three minutes, to secure the animal with a pole before shooting it. Photo: City of Sturgeon/Facebook.According to the court file, after the incident, municipal authorities published versions favorable to the officer on Facebook —including a statement of possible rage—despite not having reviewed the body camera footage.
Subsequently, the municipality paid $16,000 to Woodson and released a statement in which he was administratively exonerated. Last week it was reported that Woodson faces criminal charges for trespassing in his current job as a process server.
“Mr. Hunter is relieved that this matter is over, but he can do nothing to bring Teddy back. Teddy was a good dog who didn’t deserve this. We hope that other departments learn from this case and better train their officers in the future so that events like this do not happen again,» attorneys Kolde and Crinnian said in the filing.
Chris Greenexecutive director of the ALDF, described the agreement as “historic” and underlined the deterrent component of the amount: “These horrendous tragedies are completely unnecessary and preventable with simple and adequate training. «I hope this half-million-dollar amount sends a message to other police departments: if your officers needlessly harm an animal, you will pay,» he said.
Teddy’s case sparked a national debate about police use of force. Photo: Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF).Jim Crosbyretired lieutenant author of the Law Enforcement Dog Encounter Training course approved by the US Department of Justice, said the settlement amount reflects “the importance we recognize that pets are part of families” and stressed the need for departments to update policies and practices to take this into account.
In a statement published on its website, ALDF explained that Teddy’s case is part of a national debate about police interactions with animals. The Department of Justice estimated that Up to 10,000 dogs are shot down by officers each yearaccording to documents cited by the ALDF.
The organization recalled its previous initiatives: in 2015 it helped push a law in Texas that established mandatory training for animal encounters and achieved a more than 90 percent reduction in police shootings of dogs; In 2016 he supported the documentary Of Dogs And Men; and in 2020 he collaborated on a resolution from the American Bar Association that recommends comprehensive training for law enforcement.
