300-pound Georgia probation officer shoots 12-pound Jack Russell terrier

A Georgia woman wants answers after a 300-pound probation officer shot and killed her 12-pound Jack Russell terrier earlier this week.

Cherrie Shelton told WFXL that Officer Antoine Jones had stopped by her Albany home to check on her son on Monday when her 2-year-old dog named Patches ran outside and began barking.

She said that she tried to tell the officer that the dog would not bite, but he drew his weapon and killed the animal.

WFXL's video report showed the hole in ground outside Shelton's home where the bullet had exited Patches' stomach. She said that the dog hid behind the home for about 30 minutes before finally dying.

A report filed with Albany Police Department and obtained by WFXL indicated that Jones was 6 feet tall and weighed almost 300 pounds.

"He stated that he gave the dog verbal commands to get back but the dog continued to come towards him in an aggressive manner so he fired one shot at the dog using his duty weapon," the report stated.

Shelton said that she just couldn't understand why a 300-pound man would need to shoot a 12-pound dog.

"I thought maybe, you know, a little dog like that, you could stomp your feet or you could kick him out of the way or something," she explained. "But he just shot him."

Update (3:00 p.m. ET): In a statement to WFXL, the Georgia Department of Corrections insisted that the officer acted "appropriately."

"On Oct. 7th, two Albany Probation Officers were conducting a field visit. During this time, an Albany Probation Officer was involved in an incident that required him to use use of force against an aggressive canine during a field visit. An incident report was filed and it was determined that the Probation Officer responded appropriately."

Watch this video from WFXL, broadcast Oct. 9, 2013.

[Correction: A previous version of this report incorrectly identified WFXL's call sign.]