Prosecutor Hoffman Responds To Hoosier Enquirer’s Criminal Complaint of Muncie Police Officer Who Shot Family Dog 5 Times After Turning Off Body Camera

Delaware County prosecutor responds back to Hoosier Enquirer

MUNCIE — Delaware County Prosecutor Eric M. Hoffman has confirmed he received Hoosier Enquirer’s formal request for a criminal investigation into Muncie Police Officer Michael E. Skinner (Badge #2101) and is now reviewing the case file provided by the Muncie Police Department.

In an email sent Wednesday afternoon, Hoffman wrote:

“Good afternoon,

I have received your request. Today, the Muncie Police Department provided me with the case file. I am in the process of reviewing the facts and circumstances of the case.

Professionally,

Eric M. Hoffman

Prosecuting Attorney

46th Judicial Circuit of Indiana”

The response follows Hoosier Enquirer’s October 20 letter formally asking Hoffman to examine whether Skinner’s actions violated Indiana law. The request centered on an incident on or about October 16, 2026, at 3308 E. Wysor Street, where officers were serving a non-criminal child-support warrant. According to the officer’s own report, Skinner deactivated his body-worn camera, later reactivated it, and stated he had fired rounds “after being attacked by a dog.” The one-year-old dog, Memphis, was later found alive with gunshot wounds to both rear legs—one requiring amputation. The case was logged solely as an “Animal Incident” and explicitly marked “Not a use-of-force. Not an officer-involved shooting,” despite approximately five shots fired.

Hoosier Enquirer flagged potential violations of Indiana Code sections involving disabling a law enforcement recording device, official misconduct, and false informing or reporting. The location of the wounds in both rear legs is difficult to reconcile with a head-on charge and appears more consistent with a dog fleeing on its own property. The letter also asked Hoffman’s office to direct the immediate preservation of all body-worn and in-car camera footage and metadata, dispatch and 911 records, the complete case file, veterinary records, and any physical evidence.

Hoffman has now confirmed he has the case file in hand and is reviewing it. This is a necessary first step on paper. But don’t get your hopes up.

This is the same prosecutor’s office that handled the aftermath of a 2025 hot-car death involving a local law enforcement officer and his own child. Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputy Nathan Coffey left his 10-year-old special-needs daughter in a truck on an 85-degree day; she died of hyperthermia. Hoffman recused himself, special prosecutors from outside the county were appointed, and 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.

Body cameras exist to provide accountability. Shutting one off before a shooting, followed by a report whose claims the physical evidence appears to contradict, raises questions that internal classification alone cannot resolve. The public is entitled to a thorough, independent review of the facts—not a papering-over of a five-shot incident involving a family dog as a routine animal matter. Hoffman’s office has the authority to examine the deactivation of the camera, the consistency of the officer’s account with the wounds, and whether the classification of the event was accurate. Given the track record when local law enforcement is involved, skepticism is warranted until the full review and any findings are made public.

Hoosier Enquirer previously asked Mayor Dan Ridenour to direct the Muncie Police Department to preserve all evidence and ensure an independent review. That request remains outstanding.

We will continue to follow this matter and report what the prosecutor’s review actually produces. #JusticeForMemphis.

The public is watching.

This article is written by Hoosiers for Hoosiers.