Man accused of shooting at dogs in viral video faces animal cruelty charge

HUMBOLDT, Tenn. — A horrifying video that appears to show a local man shooting two dogs has gone viral after a neighbor posted it Thursday on Facebook.

Police arrested Christopher Collins for cruelty to animals in connection with the video.

In the video, one man appears to come out into the yard and start to beat one dog with a stick, and a second man then starts to shoot at the dogs with what police are saying is a BB gun.

Police have arrested Christopher Collins for cruelty to animals in connection with the video.

“It gets really hard because every time I walk out in the backyard he is threatening me and abusing the animals,” a neighbor who wishes to remain anonymous said. “I’ve seen repeated abuse to the animals. I’ve looked out the window and seen them beaten with gutters, with pipes, with 2-by-4s, shot at with BB guns repeatedly.”

The Humboldt Police Department said they saw the video for the first time April 11 and immediately started an investigation. They said they made an arrest three days later.

“We were concerned immediately, but it did take a little time to figure out who the guy was and to actually make contact, and you got to have a name to get a warrant,” Police Chief Robert Ellis said.

Police said they arrested Collins for cruelty to animals. However, the dogs are still living at the home.

“There are several people who live there, and as far as who actually owns the animals, there is a little bit of a gray area there,” Chief Ellis said.

The chief said it will be up to the judge whether Collins will be allowed to have anymore animals and if these dogs will be taken from the home.

“We have since checked on the animals to make sure they are OK, so we have done some welfare checks there,” he said.

Police said Collins was booked and released on April 14. He had his first court appearance this past Wednesday. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June.