„I cannot function without a service dog and they stole that from me,“ veteran Joshua Rohrer said of losing his dog Sunshine.
A homeless Iraq War veteran’s service dog was allegedly tased by police while her owner was being arrested for panhandling, leading to a series of events that ended in the dog’s death. Gastonia, North Carolina police officers encountered veteran Joshua Rohrer and his dog Sunshine, who was trained to help him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder caused by his time in the Army National Guard, after responding to a call about alleged panhandling. Witnesses told Charlotte news station WCNC that they saw police officers get physical with Rohrer soon after they arrived at a median on October 13 where the veteran and his dog had been sitting. „The officer asked him for his ID,“ witness Justyn Huffman said. „He wasn’t moving fast enough so he tried to reach into his pocket to get his ID. They slammed him up against the car. They put cuffs on him.“ Huffman and two other witnesses said that Sunshine sprung to action and bit one of the officer’s boots. An officer allegedly fired a stun gun at Sunshine, striking the dog and causing her to run away with one of the prongs still hanging off her body.
