Man and teen accused of using family's missing dog for target practice in video posted to social media

Trenton D. Sudberry (Etowah County Sheriff’s Office) and “Bullet,” the dog he’s accused of using for target practice (WBRC screenshot).

A 18-year-old man and a juvenile teen in Alabama have been arrested after they allegedly posted videos of themselves on social media showing them abusing a family’s missing dog, repeatedly shooting the animal and using it for target practice.

Trenton D. Sudberry was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of animal cruelty , authorities announced.

Authorities said that the juvenile suspect cannot be named due to their age, but noted that “the individual has been charged with animal cruelty in the juvenile court system.”

According to a news release from the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation into Sudberry and the juvenile began when deputies on the morning of June 29, 2024, received a tip about a video on social media which showed the “cruel treatment of a dog.” The release did not provide any details about the nature of the abuse allegedly being inflicted on the animal in the video.

The Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division began “actively working” on the case to identify the individuals involved in the creation of the video, which they were able to do in less than one day.

Detectives by “late Saturday afternoon” said they had identified all of the subjects involved in making the video. In addition, “the weapon” allegedly used to abuse the animal was recovered, the sheriff’s office said. However, the office did not identify what kind of weapon was used.

Thankfully, deputies were able to recover the dog, named Bullet, and reunite him with his family.

“Bullet will be receiving a full examination, and seems to be in good spirits being back with his family and should make a good recovery,” Sheriff Jonathon Horton said in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that animals are mistreated! Animals cannot speak up, so we have to make sure we do our best to take care of them and be their voice. Animal cases are just as important as any case we work.”

Horton also thanked the members of the community who shared information and tips with investigators.

The dog’s owner, Nicholas Wayne, spoke to Birmingham Fox affiliate WBRC about the ordeal. Wayne told the station that Bullet and been “missing for a little bit” when he came across evidence of his pet on Facebook. He said that he and his wife tried to get Bullet back on their own, and when they couldn’t, they contacted the sheriff’s office.

WBRC also reportedly confirmed that the weapon used to torture Bullet was a gun, though they did not specify what kind.

“He’s traumatized,” Wayne said. “We were told to keep him away from fireworks, put some headphones on him if we have to. Just make sure he’s not around anything that’s not going to set him off.”

Wayne also told the station he planned to make sure those responsible were fully prosecuted.

“All you had to do was return the dog back to us and we would’ve worked something out but y’all took it to a point where court is now involved and I’m going to push it to the full extent,” he said.

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