BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Patrick Horner took his dog outside around 5:15 a.m. He lived in a new neighborhood and few people have moved in around him, so he didn't worry about a leash.
Bella, a Black Mouth Cur, sniffed around the cul-de-sac as Horner waiter for her to finish. A bright light suddenly appeared behind him. It was a sheriff's deputy with a flashlight.
"She told me, 'let me see your hands. Turn around.' I put my hands up and turned around, and then turned to get my dog. That's when my dog got between us," Horner said.
In an instant, Bella ran, barking, towards the deputy and there were two flashes of gunfire.
"Don't shoot my dog!" Horner yelled instinctively as the whole event was caught on his ring camera.
Fortunately, the deputy missed Bella and Horner was able to herd her inside. He then stood on his porch with his hands up and out to his sides. He still don't understand what was going on.
"I didn't know how the officer was going to react. I put my hands up and said 'do what you gotta do,'" Horner said. "I didn't want her to think I was threatening, to shoot again. I didn't know what she was going to do."
The deputy eventually asked Honrer for identification which he then provided. Horner said the deputy told him they were looking for someone.
"She told me, 'hey, the reason I stopped you was because we were looking for someone that burglarized this burger king up here. And you fit that description," Horner said.
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office clarified who they were looking for to KENS 5 on Friday with the following:
"On October 14, 2022, around 4:20 am, a BCSO supervisor had been patrolling a construction site that had recently been having a lot of theft issues off of FM 143 and 1604. The supervisor noticed a vehicle parked on the construction site, and noticed a male inside the vehicle. When the supervisor approached the vehicle, the suspect exited from the vehicle and ran on foot. The supervisor did not chase the suspect, however, did call for further assistance to search the surrounding areas. The supervisor also participated in the nearby search for the suspect," A BCSO spokesperson wrote.
The spokesperson also stated they were looking for "A dark skin Hispanic male dressed in all black with facial hair."
Honrer had been wearing a black shirt, black cargo pants, and brown work boots. Speaking to KENS 5 Friday, he didn't believe he should have been an automatic suspect.
"I'm in a newer neighborhood. I wasn't carrying anything. I wasn't doing anything suspicious. I was just walking across the street you know?" Horner said.
Horner also said he would have at least been able to pick up his dog if he knew earlier that she was in law enforcement and needed to ask him questions.
"If she turned on her lights I would have immediately grabbed my dog. She could have been like, 'hey is he a biter?' I could have said no. It would have ended there and nothing would have happened," Horner said.
Horner said he has family in law enforcement, including his brother, and he understands deputies have a tough job. He still remembers his father telling him to never be aggressive with law enforcement. Still, he didn't think lethal force was necessary in this situation.
"Why is shooting the first thing that comes to mind? They have a baton. They have pepper spray. She could have kicked my dog or yelled. Shooting shouldn't be your first option," Horner said.
While the incident happened nearly four months ago, a BCSO spokesperson told KENS 5 "Per policy, BCSO has 365 days to complete an Internal Affairs investigation where a weapon was discharged."
"I want to know when the investigation is done and what they do about it," Horner said. He also made a complaint to the sheriff's office.
The BCSO spokesperson confirmed that Horner would be contacted once the case was concluded.