Angie Harmon is suing Instacart and one of its delivery drivers after claiming that her dog was shot and killed on March 30. The Rizzoli & Isles alum, 51, named both the delivery service and driver Christopher Anthoney Reid in the lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE, alleging trespassing, conversion, negligence, negligent supervision/hiring, invasion of privacy and negligent misrepresentation.ย
In the filing, Harmon’s attorneys claim that the Law & Order actress scheduled a grocery delivery on March 30 thinking her delivery driver was an older woman named Merle, based on the Instacart profile. They then claim that it was Reid instead who arrived at Harmon’s home to deliver the order, as he was “impersonating Merle on the Instacart app.” This means that Harmon had “no idea she had been communicating” with the “tall and intimidating younger man” instead of the older woman she had been promised.
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When Reid arrived, Harmon says she “heard what sounded like a gun shot” while in the backyard with her kids. “Terrified for her children’s safety, Ms. Harmon immediately ran downstairs to determine to source of what she thought was a gun shot,” the suit notes. Arriving out front, Harmon claims she noticed Reid “placing a gun in the front of his pants” or “potentially in his pant pocket.” She then saw her “beloved dog, Oliver, was shot. Although shot, Oliver was still alive.”
Despite rushing Oliver to the vet, the dog died at the office. And while the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department did question Reid about the incident, they closed the investigation before a necropsy of Oliver was performed. Harmon alleges in her suit that Reid was “not injured” or “seriously threatened” by her dog and had “ample opportunity” to leave the property unharmed without shooting Oliver. She is seeking more than $25,000 in damages.
Back in April, Instacart announced that it had immediately suspended the shopper after hearing about the shooting before removing him permanently. The company said it runs comprehensive background checks on shoppers, prohibits them from carrying weapons and has anti-fraud measures in place, including periodically requiring them to take a photo of themselves.
“Our hearts continue to be with Ms. Harmon and her family following this disturbing incident,” Instacart said in a statement at the time. “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.”
