Last month, people who love animals were stunned when actress Angie Harmon, known for her roles in “Rizzoli & Isles” and “Law & Order,” shared that her dog Oliver was shot and killed by an Instacart delivery driver.
Now, Harmon is talking about the sad loss and is suing the company and the person responsible for what happened.
Last month, during Easter weekend, Angie Harmon had groceries delivered to her home in North Carolina by Instacart. Sadly, the delivery driver shot and killed her dog, a beagle mix named Oliver.
Harmon shared on Instagram that the driver admitted to shooting the dog, claiming self-defense. She wrote, “He shot our dog with my daughters & myself at home & just kept saying, ‘yeah, I shot your dog. Yeah I did.’”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department didn’t charge the shooter because he said Oliver was trying to bite him. But Harmon said there was no sign of any struggle or aggression from her dog.
“He didn’t have a mark on him,” Harmon told People. “He didn’t have a scratch; he didn’t have torn jeans. He didn’t have puncture marks. Most importantly, he didn’t ask for help. He says he was attacked multiple times by Ollie and that he had to kick him off. But he didn’t even ask for a Band-Aid or an ambulance.”
She also mentioned on Instagram that her Ring doorbell camera was charging inside, so there’s no video of what happened. She said the man saw this and knew he wasn’t being recorded.
To add to the strange situation, the man was reportedly using a woman’s identity named Merle while shopping.
The loss of their dog deeply shocked and saddened Harmon and her family. “We are completely traumatized & beyond devastated at the loss of our beloved boy & family member,” Harmon wrote on Instagram, sharing photos of her late dog.
She also wrote on her Instagram stories directed at the man who took Oliver away, saying, “Your actions are despicable and inexcusable. You’ve not only robbed us of a beloved member of our family but you’ve also traumatized us beyond measure. The fact that someone could commit such a heartless act is beyond comprehension to me and I’m devastated that I didn’t get to say goodbye to him.”
More than a month after Oliver’s tragic death, Angie Harmon is taking legal action. She has filed a lawsuit against Instacart and the delivery driver, now known as Christopher Anthoney Reid.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday, claims negligence, trespassing, causing emotional distress, and invasion of privacy. Harmon says she heard the gunshot and rushed downstairs, fearing for her children’s safety. She saw Reid putting a gun in the front of his pants.
“It’s so shocking to think that someone in your driveway just fired a gun,” Harmon told ABC News. “And you never forget that sound.”
According to People magazine, the lawsuit mentions that Oliver was still alive after being shot. The family rushed him to the vet, but sadly, he died soon after. The lawsuit questions Reid’s self-defense claims, saying he wasn’t seriously threatened and had enough time to leave.
The family says Oliver never showed aggression towards delivery drivers before. Harmon’s daughter Avery said, “I order five Amazon packages a day, and it’s never been an issue.”
Instacart, the grocery delivery service mentioned in the lawsuit, expressed sadness and said they don’t tolerate violence. They suspended the shopper’s account and are cooperating with the investigation.
What happened to Angie Harmon’s dog Oliver is truly shocking, and we hope she and her family find justice. 😢
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