Related Articles
Died 3/29/21
Handler – Officer Robert Heathcock IV
The Selmer Police Department is mourning the loss of one of their own, four year old K9 Bishop. On Monday evening K9 Bishop, was shot and killed just outside of Selmer, TN. Both the Selmer Police Department and McNairy County Sheriffs Department have confirmed he was shot multiple times by a neighbor and died from his wounds. Reports say a neighbor shot and killed K9 Bishop as he was walking away from his property. K9 Bishop had gotten loose from his yard and was peacefully wondering in and out of the woods. There was an active search underway for the escaped K9.
Around 6pm Monday night a neighbor, Travis Sibley, called the Mcnairy County Sheriff’s Department and told them he had killed a dog that had came into his yard. He told them the dog was aggressive and lunged at him and his son. He said he ran the dog off but later the dog returned and that is when he went outside with his shot gun and fired 3 times. He struck the dog once and then fired again, “dropping” the dog. About 90 minutes later, Robert Heathcock, who had been looking for his K9, located K9 Bishop dead near Sibley’s home. Witnesses and the handler reported K9 Bishop was familiar, raised with, and lived and worked with children and was never believed to be of any threat to Sibley or his son. Police arrived and asked Sibley to document exactly what happened. However this time Sibley changed his story. He told police the dog ran off into the woods and was not threatening him. He told police he went indoors to retrieve his shot gun, and the sat and waited to see if the dog would return. He further told police that the K9 Bishop came back again and he reported firing 3 shots at the dog. As before, hitting the dog twice. The police and handler checked K9 Bishop for wounds. The report and wounds tell a different story than Sibley told. Bishop was shot in the rear quarter and broadside. The later being the kill shot. Police say that that the wounds indicate Bishop was facing away when he was first shot and then shot again broadside. Blood pattern also shows K9 Bishop was no where near Sibley, as does the location of where K9 Bishop’s body was found was in the road, and on the opposite side of the road of Sidley’s property. The report says that Sibley was charged with Intentional Killing of an Animal because he was in no imminent threat. He was given a citation and a court date. The report says that Sibley chose to “handle” this situation his own way instead of calling 911 to report the dog. Property records show K9 Bishop lived a very short distance away from Sibley. And instead of calling police, he chose to execute K9 Bishop. K9 Bishop is well known in McNairy County and has a Tik Tok following of over 250,000. Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Heathcock, the Heathcock family and department during this incredibly difficult time. Rest easy K9 Bishop, you will never be forgotten. *Note: The charge of intentional killing of an animal can be a misdemeanor or felony. The judge will determine the value and the punishment is based on the same scale as Theft of Property. The value of Bishop, including training will make this crime an E or D felony in Tennessee.
