David Lynn Krieger, known as “Krockett,” was described as an animal lover who especially loved dogs and had a huge heart. His love for animals was so deep that he didn’t consider the risks or repercussions when he confronted Roy Thompson to stop him from kicking a dog in a parking lot—or perhaps he did, but he knew the reward was worth the risk.
Krockett saw Thompson ruthlessly kicking the dog repeatedly in public and knew he couldn’t turn away like others likely would have. Instead of ignoring the situation and assuming the dog would be okay, he decided to approach the attacker in order to defend the dog and diffuse the situation.
The way he saw it, you didn’t need to know an animal to offer protection. All animals are essentially defenseless against humans, and this dog was in no position to defend himself against Thompson, who was a convicted felon out on parole.
Krockett himself had two dogs at home, a golden Labrador named Trout and a Labrador terrier mix Sophie, and likely had them in mind when he stepped forward to protect this stranger’s dog.
When he reached the man, the attacker responded by fatally shooting Krockett twice. Thompson’s family has said that he was simply trying to protect himself against Krockett, although Krockett’s brother, who was actually a witness to the incident, said the two verbally argued before Thompson stepped backwards and shot him twice.
The felon also shot at Krockett’s brother as he tried to run away and the brother fired back, but neither struck each other.
The family didn’t expect their kind-hearted hero to be taken from them so soon while doing the right thing and were left completely devastated. Christine Wilke, a family friend, told BarkPost,
“In the wake of this tragedy, we are all left to try to make sense of why such a wonderful man, who was an asset to society and made the world a better place, was taken from us so soon.”
Fortunately, the dog survived the abuse from his attacker and Thompson is in jail awaiting trial for the murder of Krockett (and hopefully some animal cruelty charges too).
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family and has more than exceeded their goal, but donations are still being taken for those interested in helping out the family.
Would you have stepped in to help this stranger’s dog? Please share this article and comment your thoughts below!
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