Advocates rally for chihuaha beaten in Peoria as police recommend charges to Maricopa County
Protesters ask for justice in Peoria chihuahua beating
Protesters and advocates lined up outside the man's house who is accused of beating a chihuahua to death with a shovel. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has more.
PEORIA, Ariz. - It's been a week since a Peoria man was seen on camera beating a neighbor's dog with a shovel.
The video is hard to watch and the dog's owners say the lack of an arrest is hard to swallow.
Animal advocates came out to the scene of the beating on April 26, saying they refuse to let this case go until an arrest is made.
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Chihuahua beaten to death caught on camera leaves Peoria family in shock
A Peoria family is mourning their Chihuahua while police investigate dash cam footage that shows a neighbor beating the dog to death with a shovel.
What they're saying:
"Justice for Chiqui! Justice for Chiqui!" the group chanted over and over again.
"I can just imagine it playing over and over again in my mind," said Brianna Camacho, Chiqui's owner.
Emotions run high for Brianna Camacho as she waits for an arrest after the death of her beloved chihuahua.
"I feel this hatred at the moment because why would you do that to a dog?" said Camacho.
What we know:
Some community members joined Brianna outside the house of Kenneth McGaughey, the neighbor seen in the disturbing video beating Chiqui with a shovel and tossing his lifeless body over a wall.
"We're just here trying to raise awareness and further investigate this whole thing and get him arrested and convicted for his crime," said one of the supporters.
The other side:
On April 26, FOX 10 spoke to McGaughey outside his home where he claimed he acted in defense of his own pets.
"He had the cat in his mouth. I didn’t wanna see him hold the cat. I just wanna throw them out the gate. That’s all I wanted to do. I didn’t wanna kill him, but (expletive) happens," said McGaughey.
AZ man who allegedly killed neighbor's dog speaks
While charges of animal cruelty are recommended by Peoria Police against Kenneth McGaughey, he remains a free man as of April 23. FOX 10's Brian Webb spoke with McGaughey, who said he didn't want to kill the dog.
Big picture view:
Fellow dog owners and animal advocates are crying foul.
"I have chihuahuas and I can handle them easily. They can't let this kind of thing go on," said Krista Northrop, an animal advocate.
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Arizona Senate passes bill that will crackdown on domestic animal cruelty
Arizona's Senate passed SB 1234, a bill that aims to crackdown on animal cruelty, on March 17. If the bill becomes law, it'll add penalties for anyone who intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly fails to prevent the suffering of domestic animals.
What's next:
Peoria Police recommended felony animal cruelty charges to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Meanwhile, Brianna is sharing this message for McGaughey:
"I just want justice and I hope you get what you deserve because what you did wasn't okay at all."
Peoria Police tell us they've submitted charges to the county attorney and we are waiting on their charging decision. We've reached out to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell for an update but we haven't heard back.