GASTONIA, N.C. – A group of people, including veterans and their service dogs, gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor a local service dog that was recently killed. Sunshine belong to local Army veteran Josh Rohrer. He is currently homeless, and was arrested last week for panhandling. During the arrest, officers tased Sunshine. She was then turned over to one of Josh’s friends while he was in jail. While Sunshine was with the friend, she slipped her collar and got hit and killed by a car.
Rohrer says seeing the community come together for the vigil, “Means a lot because it’s not just about me and Sunshine, it’s about all the other veterans out there with service dogs, it’s about the other homeless out there and about how they are treated.”
Friend Megan Grayson says, “We’re gonna get him a puppy, and we’re gonna get him housing, and we’re gonna get him care for his PTSD that the VA hasn’t properly provided for years and we are going to get them (Gastonia Police) to address the fact that the officers didn’t make the best moves when they came that evening.”
Rohrer is currently staying in a hotel. His supporters say they want to see dash cam and body cam video from the night of the arrest to better understand what happened.