Oklahoma man charged with animal cruelty after allegedly shooting chihuahua with .357 Magnum



EDMOND, Okla. - An Oklahoma man faces charges after allegedly using a revolver to kill a small dog in his backyard.

Video surveillance captured James Aaron Edwards holding the dog between his legs, a gun in his hand, and blood on the ground, according to KFOR.

The shooting happened the night of March 14th.

Edwards' wife told police feces was found on the floor from their chihuahua, Tater.

Edwards reportedly said "The dog needed to die." He also said he would throw the body into the bushes and even made threats against his wife, police said.

"At some point, she left for work, and then he sent her a text message,” Jennifer Wagnon from the Edmond Police Department said.

According to court documents, the text messages read, “The dog is in a hole in the ground."

"We did find the animal buried in the backyard,” Wagnon said.

Police also found two revolvers - one of them a .357 Magnum - and marijuana.

According to Edmond police, Edwards had a different version of events. He said he shot the dog in Piedmont because it was sick.

"It was clear the truck had not been washed and there were no signs that the dog was placed back there,” Wagnon said.

KFOR tried to speak with Edwards to get his side of the story, but was asked to leave.

Court filings show Edwards now faces several felony charges including animal cruelty.

Police said his wife and other family members have also come forward saying he was “diagnosed with PTSD and that he does smoke marijuana as well as snorts cocaine”.

"Here there are some emotional and possible mental health issues,” Wagnon said.

While Edmond Police were on their way to Edwards’ home for the initial call, Edwards was pulled over in a traffic stop and arrested on drug charges.

His wife has since filed a victim’s protective order against her husband.