Yet another tale of police brutality has been making its rounds online, and this time, it’s a dog that fell victim to the crime. A cop from Paris, Logan County, in Arkansas, drew outrage online after shooting a dog multiple times, killing the poor animal, instead of taking it to the shelter. While the police officer resigned following the controversy, he was later re-hired in another county as a Sheriff and is now on active duty once again.
Officer Stephen Nguyen, formerly of the Paris Police Department in Arkansas, was the officer in question. Nguyen responded to a possible stray animal report during the early morning hours of July 1, 2025. It turns out that a homeowner called 911 to have a dog retrieved, as it was wandering around, and he doesn’t know who the owner is. The bodycam footage has been released recently, though it doesn’t show the actual shooting– only proof that the animal was posing no danger:
Officer Nguyen can be seen luring the dog to his car, which, in his reports, he claimed was “aggressive” and “dangerous.” Nguyen then took the dog to the city dump instead of the Paris City Shelter. Thereafter, he allegedly shot the dog multiple times with his service weapon, and later requested that Animal Control dispose of the body. The incident has since led to Officer Nguyen’s resignation.
“In the video, to me, he looks like a completely healthy dog. We don’t have a policy that you take ‘em out to the dump and shoot ‘em… he should have just took it to the animal shelter,” according to Paris Mayor Daniel Rogers, transcript courtesy of Arkansas Transparency. However, despite his resignation, Nguyen appears to have been swiftly re-hired as a deputy by the Johnson County Sheriff’s office in Arkansas.
People Online are Condemning the Cop’s Execution
Arkansas Transparency credited this information to an unnamed eyewitness who spotted Nguyen driving in a Johnson County Sheriff’s truck, and it was later confirmed by the Johnson County Clerk of Courts. It also appears Nguyen is facing no charges for the supposed animal cruelty he committed. People online were thus shocked by how Deputy Nguyen not only escaped the law but also executed a dog.
“He resigns. In lieu of being charged or in addition to charges for wanton animal cruelty?” questions one Reddit user. Such an incident has fueled more negative sentiments towards law enforcement officers. “What a f***ing psychopath” fumes another commenter, given how the cop willingly chose violence instead of taking the dog to Animal Control so they can handle it.
“Indeed no remorse and he thought it was funny. The actual execution was savage he shot it in its body and let it suffer and cry for a while then finally put it down with a head shot! laughing the entire time of course,” claims another Reddit user. It’s not clear what exactly transpired and what led to Nguyen shooting and killing the dog, as the bodycam footage was not present during this decision.
