Angie Harmon says she and her daughters are “traumatized beyond measure” after a man delivering groceries from Instacart shot and killed her dog Oliver over the weekend.
The “Law & Order” and “Rizzoli & Isles” alum said she was in her North Carolina home with her children during the incident and is devastated by the loss.
“He got out of his car, delivered the food & THEN shot our dog. Our ring camera was charging in the house, which he saw & then knew he wasn’t being recorded,” Harmon wrote Monday on Instagram.
The TV star also said the man — who she says was shopping for her under the identity of a woman named Merle — admitted shooting her “precious” pet, but police let him go because “he claimed self-defense.”
“He did not have a scratch or bite on him nor were his pants torn,” she wrote. “He shot our dog with my daughters & myself at home & just kept saying, ‘yeah, I shot your dog. Yeah I did.’ We are completely traumatized & beyond devastated at the loss of our beloved boy & family member. #RIP OLLIE 🐶🐾🕊️🌈”
Officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded Saturday to a residence shortly before noon “for a report of a dog being shot,” a spokesperson for the department confirmed Tuesday in a statement to The Times. The driver told police officers that the dog attacked him, resulting in him firing a single gunshot that struck and killed the canine.
“Upon arrival, officers located and spoke to all involved parties,” the statement said. “The investigation revealed that a delivery driver arrived at the residence to deliver consumable goods. The driver told officers that a dog attacked him while he was at the residence and that he defended himself by firing a single gunshot, striking and mortally wounding the dog. Another dog was present at the residence but did not attack.”
The CMPD spokesperson said that no criminal charges have been filed in relation to the incident and that police are not seeking additional parties. CMPD’s Animal Care and Control also responded to the scene.
Instacart confirmed Tuesday to The Times that the shopper account associated with the incident was “immediately suspended” from the platform.
“We were deeply saddened and disturbed to hear about this incident,” a spokesperson for the delivery and pickup service said. “We have no tolerance for violence of any kind, and the shopper account was immediately suspended from our platform. We have been in direct contact with the customer and are cooperating with law enforcement on their investigation.”
In an Instagram Story posted later, Harmon addressed the man directly.
“To the man who took Ollie away from us: your actions are despicable and inexcusable. You’ve not only robbed us of a beloved member of our family but you’ve also traumatized us beyond measure. The fact that someone could commit such a heartless act is beyond comprehension to me and I’m devastated that I didn’t get to say goodbye to him.”
Open carry of firearms is legal in the Tar Heel State without a permit, but a person must be 18 with no felony convictions to do so. The law also places no limits on weapon caliber size or magazine capacity, but a person may not open carry on private property or businesses that post “no weapons” signs, the Raleigh-based Manning Law Firm said.
Representatives for Harmon declined to comment Tuesday when reached by The Times. Her attorney, John Buric, was not immediately available for additional comment.
However, Buric told TMZ on Tuesday that Harmon’s two dogs had been outside in front of her house when the deliveryman arrived. She had been upstairs putting food in the squirrel feeder and her kids were in the backyard when they heard a gunshot. They then rushed to the front of the house and found their pet lying in a pool of blood. Harmon reportedly told her attorney that the man was “braggadocious” and repeatedly said he shot the dog.
