by Alyssa Spirato, @ASpiratoNC9 To many of us our animals are like family. Imagine seeing a member of your family gunned down and left to die. One Flinstone man says that was his reality after he says a neighbor shot and killed his dog in his own front yard.Resident William Stahl has spent years rescuing dogs and says he's never had any problems with neighbors or the dog before. But on Easter Sunday, all that changed within an instant.As soon as it happened, the dog jumped, like a pop. The dog jumped, took off, I ran out because honestly, I just didn't see anybody do it, says Stahl.Stahl thought what he heard was a dream. But when a nearby neighbor came screaming for help he knew it was anything but.She heard a pop and saw the same thing. She was kind of looking up the hill down here and saw the whole thing. She ran up to see what was going on and helped me, says Stahl.Just days after Easter Sunday police arrest Stahl's neighbor, Daniel Phillips. Phillips told police the dog had been a menace to the neighborhood, jumped the fence and allegedly went onto his property when he shot him.NewsChannel9 spoke to Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson. He says hearing two conflicting stories makes it difficult.In this case here, we're receiving two different versions of what happened. The officer did a very thorough investigation and determined that after a few days the case did warrant a criminal arrest warrant, says Stahl.Georgia Law allows homeowners to use deadly force if they feel threatened by an animal. But whether or not Regis was aggressive is the question police are trying to figure out. We knocked on Phillips door to get his side of the story and even tried contacting him by phone. But we were told to contact Phillips' attorney.Phillips faces animal cruelty charges and was released on bond hours after his arrest Friday.
