Teen and his dog were gunned down, NC sheriff says. ‘There is a monster among us’
A 16-year-old boy and his dog were killed early Saturday, May 2, at a rural home in Forsyth County, North Carolina, according to investigators.
It happened just before 6 a.m. in Walkertown, and the boy was found in his bed, officials said. The dog was nearby, lying on the floor.
A 19-year-old has been arrested as a suspect, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office says.
“Deputies were dispatched to a residence in the 4700 block of New Walkertown Road (U.S. 311) to assist agency EMS. Upon arrival, they discovered one person and a canine suffering from gunshot wound,” the sheriff’s office said in a May 2 news release.
“The 16-year-old juvenile and his pet canine ... were pronounced deceased at the scene.”
The teen has been identified as Jayden Livingston, who was a student at West Stokes High School, the Stokes County Schools district reports.
On May 8, the sheriff’s office announced 19-year-old John Claude Fowler Jr., had been arrested in connection with the shooting and charged with four counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling. On May 14, additional charges were added for murder and cruelty to animals, officials said.
Investigators have called the shooting an “example of senseless juvenile violence.”
“There are times in my life when I have questioned the moral compass of society and this is truly another one of those times,” Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr. said in the release.
“When a 16-year-old child and his pet can be gunned down in the quiet of the morning hours, it causes me to question our sense of morality and brings true anguish. Make no mistake about it, there is a monster among us, and the FCSO will use all available resources to ensure this monster is captured.”
Walkertown is about an 85-mile drive northeast from uptown Charlotte.
This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 5:37 AM with the headline "Teen and his dog were gunned down, NC sheriff says. ‘There is a monster among us’."