‘Devastating for our family’ | Monroe Co. couple reels after neighbor charged with shooting young daughter’s dog

What This Story Is About

• A Madisonville man has been charged after shooting a neighboring family’s dog three times, according to the family and court documents.

Why It Matters

• The family is now speaking out, hoping to raise awareness about violence near East Tennessee homes.

What Happens Next

• The suspect — 39-year-old Nicholas Scott Cook — has been booked and released from the Monroe County Jail.

For Context

• Cook claimed the dog had been chasing his chickens, though video described by an investigator said the dog wasn’t near any chickens when Cook fired.

MADISONVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A Madisonville family is reeling as the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office investigates their neighbor, who is accused of shooting and killing their family dog.

The case centers on Sydni and Tyler Watkins and is outlined in an affidavit for the man accused: 39-year-old Nicholas Scott Cook. According to the couple, and the court document, Cook shot their family dog three times on Oct. 22, killing it.

The affidavit says MCSO Deputy Owen Hooper arrived at their home on Wilson Station Road that Thursday and spoke to the couple.

“Mr. and Ms. Watkins were visibly upset and shaken and I observed a dog laying on its side with multiple bloody wounds in the chest and sides,” the affidavit reads. “Ms. Watkins advised the dog was not doing anything when their neighbor, later identified as Nicholas Cook, walked out of his residence and shot their dog.”

The deputy’s account of what happened continues, saying Cook told Hooper the dog had been chasing chickens on the neighbor’s property. Cook told Hooper neighborhood dogs had been a problem in the past, the document says, though Cook wasn’t sure if the Watkins’ dog had actually killed a chicken before.

Security video doesn’t match neighbor’s account, investigator says

However, what Cook said didn’t match his own security video, the affidavit says, which the suspect shared with the investigator.

“In the video provided by Mr. Cook, I observed the dog standing in Mr. Cook’s yard licking an empty silver pan with no chickens near the dog,” the document says. “I then heard what appeared to be a gun shot and the dog yelp as it ran back towards its property.”

In total, the affidavit says the video recorded three gunshots. That third gunshot came after the dog had already been hurt, according to the investigator’s conversation with Cook.

“I asked Mr. Cook about the third gunshot to which he advised the dog fell down on the property line at which time he approached it and fired the third shot into the dog while it was laying there alive,” the affidavit says.

Parents say daughter was outside during shooting

The couple spoke briefly following the shooting, pointing to the dog’s relationship with their young daughter.

“Briar was our six-year-old daughter’s beloved companion. Our daughter was outside when this happened, and the experience has been devastating for our family,” the couple said over email. “We are particularly concerned about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, the proximity to our home and children and the importance of accountability in cases involving violence toward family pets.”

Cook was charged with knowingly killing an animal. He was booked and released from the Monroe County jail that day.