Lydia Nikac did exactly what people are told to do when a crime happens at home: she called the police. In 2024, after catching a man breaking into her car outside her Pitt County home, she had her two trained dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, hold him in place until help arrived. Within minutes of a North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper showing up, both dogs were dead.

Bonnie and Clyde were not ordinary pets. They were demonstration dogs for Nikac’s K-9 training business, trained and certified for apprehension, search and rescue, and therapy work. According to WRAL News, dash camera video captures the trooper warning, “If the dog comes over here, I’m going to shoot it.” As Clyde approached, the trooper fired, killing both dogs. “He didn’t charge. He trotted over in his direction because he was curious,” Nikac told WRAL. The North Carolina State Highway Troopers Association has called the shooting justified self-defense.

The videos of that day remain under a court order restricting public release, and in October 2026 the North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld that order. Nikac says the restrictions have made it harder to rally support and pay for a lawyer.

Clear evidence serves everyone. Supporters of law enforcement and animal lovers alike benefit when the public can see what happened and judge it fairly.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS) have the power to act. They should ask the court to authorize public release of the full video, open an independent review of the shooting, and require every trooper to complete training on handling dog encounters safely and without deadly force whenever possible.

Sign the petition to demand the truth about Bonnie and Clyde, and to make sure the next family that calls for help does not lose their dogs too.