Dior, a Yorkie, has died after suffering more hemorrhages to her tiny frame than we have fingers. Police suspected she died as a result of being kicked (perhaps several times) by now ex-Atlanta Falcons linebacker Prince Shembo.
Shembo 23, was left to care for the dog by his ex-girlfriend, Denicia Williams, on April 15th. When Williams arrived back to Shembo’s Gwinnett County residence the dog was almost lifeless. After being rushed to Duluth Animal Hospital the wee Yorkie died. Vets described her injuries as “extensive” and determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.
Little Dior had obvious head trauma, an edema in her lungs, fractured rib, a series of hemorrhages, and bruising to her legs and shoulders. A postmortem was done with tissue samples sent to the University of Georgia for a more in-depth analysis.
It’s believed that Shembo admitted to kicking the dog shortly after her death when confronted by Williams about how this could have happened when under his care. Shembo, who stands at 6′, 253 pounds surrendered to police and was charged with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals. He now claims he acted in self-defense after being bitten by the dog. Though he paid $15,000 bond, he won’t be returning to the Falcon’s field.
They have relieved him of his duties and released the following statement: “We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this. Accordingly, we have decided to waive [him].”
The Falcons are no stranger to animal cruelty charges. In 2007 Micheal Vick spent 23 months in prison for operating a dog fighting ring in Virginia.
We will continue to follow this story, and post updates as they are made available.
References
1. AJC.com 2. Chicago Tribune 3. The Guardian 4. NY Daily News 5. DailyMailUK
