Grandfather and His Dog Gunned Down at Park as Wife Watched in Horror

A peaceful Sunday walk turned into tragedy when a 70-year-old Georgia grandfather and his beloved dog were fatally shot at a local park — all in front of his wife.

According to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Terry Loden was walking with his wife, Cheryle, and their dog Jesse at Simpson Park in Gainesville, Georgia, when a fight broke out between Jesse and another dog.

What should have been a minor scuffle turned deadly when the other pet’s owner — identified as 52-year-old Todd Alexander Stalcup — allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Jesse. Moments later, he turned the weapon on Loden.

“He just looked up at me and said, ‘I love you. I’m going,’” Cheryle recalled tearfully to Atlanta News First. “I said, ‘No, you’re not.’”

Cheryle said her husband was still on the phone with their granddaughter when shots rang out. “He told her, ‘Hang on,’ and then told Jesse not to mess with that dog,” she remembered. Seconds later, everything changed.

Witnesses said Stalcup appeared calm and even told Cheryle, “Yeah, you do that,” when she said she was calling 911. Deputies later arrested him about 15 minutes after the shooting.

He’s now facing charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during a crime. He remains behind bars without bond.

Loden, a devoted husband, grandfather, and animal lover, was remembered by family as “selfless and awesome.” Just weeks before his death, he’d posted a Facebook fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, asking friends to donate for his birthday.

“This was a senseless, unprovoked act,” his heartbroken family said, urging justice “to the fullest extent of the law.”

Simpson Park, located on scenic Lake Lanier, allows dogs but requires them to be leashed — though it’s still unclear if either animal was restrained during the deadly confrontation.