MUNCIE COVER-UP? LOCAL PROSECUTOR CLEARS COP WHO SHOT PITBULL AFTER TURNING OFF BODY CAM — SAME OFFICIALS WHO INVESTIGATE THEMSELVES SAY “NO CRIME”

Same prosecutor’s office that let hot-car deputy that killed his special needs kid walk now clears another officer. Hoosier Enquirer refers dog-shooting case to State Police.

By Hoosier Enquirer Team

October 22, 2026

MUNCIE — Delaware County Prosecutor Eric M. Hoffman has ruled that a Muncie police officer did nothing wrong when he fired five shots at a brown Pitbull on October 16 after turning off his body camera.

The same local government that handled the case from the start conducted its own investigation — and found no wrongdoing.

This is the identical prosecutor’s office that handled the 2025 hot-car death of a 10-year-old special-needs girl. Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputy Nathan Coffey left his daughter in a truck on an 85-degree day. She died of hyperthermia. Hoffman recused himself. Special prosecutors from outside the county were brought in. They declined to file any charges, concluding there was no evidence the deputy left the child in the vehicle on purpose. The deputy returned to work after paid administrative leave.

Now Hoffman’s office has reviewed the Pitbull shooting and declared it self-defense. The officer’s report and body-camera buffer footage show the dog charging and growling in a dark, tight front yard. The officer fired five rounds downward and stopped when the dog ran. Five shell casings were recovered. No blood and no dog were found at the scene. The request for an investigation came from a social-media letter, not the dog’s owner — who has never reported the shooting to police or animal control.

Body cameras exist for accountability. One was turned off before the shots. Local officials reviewed the case themselves and cleared the officer. The pattern is familiar.

Hoosier Enquirer is referring this matter to the Indiana State Police for an independent additional review.

Local officials have already closed their investigation. The public deserves answers that do not come from the same people who just said nothing went wrong — again.

#JusticeForMemphis

This article is written by Hoosiers for Hoosiers.