Partial bodycam footage of Henderson County deputy fatal foster dog shooting released

After the shooting death of an adopted foster dog by a Henderson County Sheriff's Office deputy garnered widespread public attention, the sheriff’s office released deputy bodycam footage showing part of what happened during the encounter.

In a video posted to Facebook Nov. 30, Sheriff Lowell Griffin said the office secured a court order from a superior court judge to release the bodycam footage, which has been cut short “because there is no reason to show any graphic details,” he said in the post.

“I want to clarify the incident and make you completely aware of what the deputy faced,” Griffin said in the video. “It’s a very unfortunate situation. My heart goes out to the owners of the canine. It’s also unfortunate that the deputy was put in the position to make the decision that the deputy had to make.”

“However, I believe that the deputy not only acted in good faith, that the deputy did what the deputy needed to do to ensure his own safety,” Griffin added.

On Nov. 25, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office received an early morning call reporting a suspicious vehicle in the driveway of Paula Oppedisano-Pinkerton and Stuart Pinkerton’s home in Henderson County. The caller stated, “the home was for sale, and they didn’t believe anyone should be present at the home currently,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Oppedisano-Pinkerton and her husband have lived at the house for the past three years and her neighbors were aware that they were living there in the midst of looking for a new home, she previously told the Citizen Times.

Steffie sits with her owners Paula Oppedisano-Pinkerton and Stuart Pinkerton.
The Hyundai Santa Fe, which the unknown caller reported as suspicious, had been parked there most nights for the past three months since the couple purchased it in September, Oppedisano-Pinkerton said.