STURGEON, Mo. - The City of Sturgeon, MO, and one of its police officers have agreed to pay $500,000 as part of a settlement over the shooting a blind, deaf, 13-pound Shih Tzu mix named Teddy.
Filed in May 2024, the federal lawsuit alleged that Sturgeon failed to properly train, supervise, and discipline its officer. In May 2024, Attorneys Daniel J. Kolde and Eric C. Crinnian filed the lawsuit in United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri on behalf of Teddy’s guardian, Nicholas Hunter seeking compensation in excess of $1 million for violation of his rights under the 4th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution. The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) provided a grant to help cover costs for the lawsuit. "Mr. Hunter is relieved this matter is concluded but nothing can ever bring his Teddy back. Teddy was a good dog who did not deserve this. We hope that other departments will learn from this and train their officers better in the future so events like this don’t happen again.