RAYVILLE, MO — A Rayville woman is pressing for answers after she says an off-duty Excelsior Springs police lieutenant shot and killed her two dogs last Wednesday, then did not tell her about it for nearly six hours. Crystal Belding says she heard gunfire shortly after she dropped her children off at school and immediately feared something was wrong.

Belding says she searched for her dogs, 2-year-old Lenny and 8-month-old Howie, but could not find them. She says she only learned what happened after a neighbor called her later in the morning. The situation has left her questioning not only why the dogs were shot, but why she was kept in the dark for so long.

How Belding says the morning unfolded

Belding said the shots rang out shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday. After hearing them, she says she had a strong sense that something was wrong, but she did not know where her dogs had gone or what had happened to them.

According to Belding, she spent the next several hours trying to track them down. She says the first clear explanation came only when her neighbor told her the dogs had been on his property and were barking a few feet away when he shot them. In a text message later, Belding says the neighbor described the dogs as aggressive.

Belding said she believes the encounter might have ended differently if she had been able to get to the dogs before the shooting escalated. For her, the lack of communication afterward has become nearly as upsetting as the loss of the animals themselves.

What the police department says happened on the property

The Excelsior Springs Police Department later identified the neighbor as Lt. Renne in a public statement. The department said the incident happened on his private property outside the city limits in Ray County on Nov. 4, 2026, at about 7:40 a.m., as he was leaving home for work.

Police said Renne was startled by one dog as he opened his garage door, then warned it to leave. The department said a second dog then approached aggressively, and that both dogs later growled and lunged at him. According to the statement, Renne feared for his safety and fired his department-issued firearm, killing both animals.

The department also said Renne had worn his police uniform because he was headed to work and that carrying the firearm was allowed under policy. It said a fence had previously been installed after earlier encounters involving the pit bull.

What happened after the dogs were killed

Belding says her neighbor later took the dogs’ bodies to the Excelsior Springs Animal Control Center and placed them in an incinerator. She says she was told no intake paperwork had been filed, and she was stunned that no one called her before that happened.

The Excelsior Springs Police Department said its review found no sign that Renne was trying to hide the incident or avoid reporting requirements. The department said he told a supervisor about the shooting and contacted the Ray County Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the area.

Police also said the Animal Control supervisor explained disposal procedures when Renne arrived with the dogs. The department said the owner was later given a chance to retrieve the remains, but declined, and cremation was then scheduled.

Ray County investigators opened a case the same day

KMBC confirmed with the Ray County Sheriff’s Department that a report was made the day of the shooting and that the matter is under investigation. Sheriff Gary Blackwell said the case would be transferred to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control to protect impartiality.

That transfer would place the investigation in the hands of a separate agency if the Highway Patrol agrees to take it. Investigators would then determine whether any laws were broken, and prosecutors would make the final decision on whether to file charges.

Belding said she understands that dogs being on someone else’s property could explain an initial confrontation. What she says she cannot get past are the events that followed, especially the delay in being told what had happened and the handling of the animals afterward.

Missouri law on killing an animal and possible defenses

Missouri law allows a defense if a person believes an animal posed imminent harm. State statute 273.033 says that imminent harm can be a valid defense against criminal prosecution or civil liability for killing or injuring an animal.

Another statute, 578.012, says a person can be guilty of animal abuse if they intentionally or purposefully kill an animal in a way not expressly exempted. The exemptions include self-defense or circumstances in which a dog is harming other animals.

Those laws are central to what investigators may have to sort out if the Highway Patrol takes over. The question, according to the current record, is whether Renne’s actions fall within a legal defense or cross into criminal conduct.

Department review, conflicting accounts and what comes next

In its statement, the Excelsior Springs Police Department said the Ray County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident and concluded that no laws were violated. The police department said it conducted its own review and agreed with that conclusion.

Some parts of that statement differ from Belding’s account, including the timing and the handling of the dogs after the shooting. KMBC said it asked the police department for a statement Monday and received a response Tuesday morning.

The station said it did not identify the officer in its initial reporting because he has not been charged with a crime. For now, the incident remains under scrutiny as Belding continues to look for a fuller explanation of why her dogs were killed and what happened in the hours that followed.