Former 250lb Atlanta Falcon player who ‘kicked ex girlfriend’s tiny Yorkie to death’ claims he was acting in self defense
Prince Shembo turned himself in on aggravated animal crueltychargesShembo, 23, accused of kicking dog to death and warrant issued on FridayLawyer said player was bit on hand by dog and kicked animal as a reflex Ex girlfriend Denicia Williams found Yorkie named DiorunresponsiveTeam was ‘extremely disappointed’ and waived the second year playerHistory with dogs because of ex player Michael Vick may have been factorBy
The lawyer for the waived Atlanta Falcons player who was arrested for aggravated animal cruelty after his ex girlfriend’s dog died from blunt force trauma said the 250lb player was defending himself.
Prince Shembo turned himself in on Friday after Gwinnett County police obtained a felony warrant for the NFL player’s arrest earlier in the day afterDenicia Williams, 20, called police on April 19.
His attorney, Jerry Froelich, said the linebacker was bit in the hand by Williams’ dog, a Yorkie named Dior, when he was putting it in a cage and he kicked the defenseless animal as a reflex.
Froelich told reporters outside of Gwinnett County jail his client was crying after what happened, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
He said: ‘He got bit and he made a mistake and kicked the dog.
‘It’s a small dog and unfortunately that’s what happened.
‘He didn’t mean to kill the dog.
‘You see the size of it. When you’re a small dog, it doesn’t take much with the size [Shembo] is.
‘He’s disappointed. It’s devastating to him. When I first met him he was in tears.’
Dior suffered numerous injuries including a fractured rib, fractured liver, abdominal hemorrhage, thoracic hemorrhage, head trauma and a hemorrhage in the left eye with internal injuries but Froelich would not comment about the number of times the dog was kicked.
Shembo’s attorney said the linebacker was bit in the hand by Williams’ dog when he was putting cheap replica connor murphy black alternate 2017 stanley cup final patch jersey it in a cage
The Falcons acted swiftly after the warrant was announced and waived the young linebacker.
The organization said: ‘We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo.
‘We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this.
‘Accordingly, we wholesale baseball mlb authentic team color jerseys have decided to waive Prince Shembo.’
Another former Falcons player, quarterback Michael Vick, ended up serving time in federal prison for his involvement in an organized dog fighting ring when he was a member of the team.
Shembo’s attorney speculated that was the reason the team cut him so quickly.
Froelich said: ‘With sale elite erik johnson stitched light blue ccm jersey the history that’s gone on in this town.
‘The Falcons were in a little bit different position than most teams.
‘If you were someplace else, I don’t know.’
Vick returned to the NFL after serving his time and played for the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets.
After the dog was dead, Shembo told Williams the next day he had kicked the dog and she broke up with him
Before the arrest, Williams said she had taken Dior to Shembo’s apartment on April 15 and that after she left the dog alone with the 23 year old player, she came back and the animal was unresponsive.
She took the dog to an animal hospital, where he died a short time later.
Shembo told her the next day he had kicked the dog and she broke up with him.
He is 6 foot 2 and weighs 254 pounds, according to the Falcons’ website.
The aggravated cruelty charge carries a minimum of one year in prison and a maximum sentence of five years, as well as a fine of up to $15,000.
