Angie Harmon Sues Instacart After Her Dog Was Allegedly Shot And Killed By Driver
Angie Harmon has filed a lawsuit against Instacart and an Instacart driver who she alleges shot and killed her family dog while making a delivery at her North Carolina home last month.
In court documents obtained by People Wednesday, Harmon is accusing the grocery delivery service and the driver, identified as Christopher Anthoney Reid, for “alleged trespassing, conversion, negligence, negligent supervision/hiring, invasion of privacy and negligent misrepresentation” in connection with the incident, which took place over Easter weekend.
She is seeking at least $25,000 in damages.
The actor, whose credits include “Law & Order” and “Rizolli & Isles,” also said in the lawsuit that Reid had presented himself on the Instacart app as an older woman named “Merle” before making the delivery.
Shortly after Reid arrived at her home, Harmon says she heard “what sounded like a gun shot” and feared for the safety of her children, who were in the backyard with another adult.
By the time Harmon arrived outside, however, she discovered Reid ― described in the suit as “a tall and intimidating younger man” ― just as he “was placing a gun in front of his pants, potentially in his pant pocket.” Her dog, a beagle mix named Oliver, had been shot and later died at a veterinarian’s office.
Harmon, who first made the claims in an April 1 Instagram post, spoke at length about the claims in an emotional “Good Morning America” interview that aired Wednesday.
Watch Angie Harmon’s “Good Morning America” appearance below.
“It’s so unfathomable to think that there’s somebody in your front driveway that just fired a gun,” she said. “You don’t ever forget that sound.”
She went on to note: “I think Instacart is beyond responsible for all of this.”
Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were summoned to Harmon’s home moments after the shooting but closed the case once Reid claimed he’d acted in self-defense. The “GMA” segment also includes audio of Reid from what appears to be a 911 call in which he claims he’d been attempting to contact Harmon via text before Oliver “tried to bite me.”
“The dog went off. So I just tried to hurry up and run on the porch... and the dog’s trying to bite,” he says in the clip. “So what am I supposed to do?”
In a statement, representatives for Instacart said they have been “cooperating with law enforcement on their investigation.”
“Our hearts continue to be with Ms. Harmon and her family following this disturbing incident,” the statement, which has been cited by Entertainment Weekly and USA Today, read. “While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we have no tolerance for violence of any kind, and the shopper account has been permanently deactivated from our platform.”