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Man charged with killing dog in front of children

The witness said the dog had "nipped" her and the man, but was cowering under a table at the time of the shooting, according to the complaint.
Credit: Olmsted County
Richard Taylor Jordan

OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn. — A southern Minnesota man has been charged with fatally shooting a dog in front of two small children.

According to the criminal complaint, 31-year-old Richard Taylor Jordan was having an argument with his girlfriend on Nov. 8 at their home in Orion Township. The girlfriend told deputies that they began wrestling in the kitchen over her phone and Jordan's debit card, with their two young children 5 to 6 feet away. Both children are under 3 years old.

The woman told investigators that their dog, a Pitbull-Labrador mix, came by and nipped her shoulder and Jordan's ankle while they were fighting. She told police that Jordan left the kitchen and came back with a shotgun. According to the complaint, the dog was "cowering" under the kitchen table when Jordan crouched down and pointed the shotgun at the dog.

Jordan's girlfriend said she had gone over to the children, but she heard the gun go off and saw the dog's head fall to the side. She told deputies that the defendant said it was an accident, wrapped up the dog and then left.

According to the complaint, when investigators interviewed Jordan he said he shot the dog intentionally, because he was afraid for his own safety and the safety of his children.

Jordan is being charged with felony mistreatment of animals for "wrongfully, unlawfully" killing an animal, and felony intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety. 

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