Timeline of Events
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Joshua and Sunshine's Story
October 9, 2021
Officer Taylor's 1st Arrest Attempt
Officer Taylor from GPD accuses Joshua of Panhandling. During their interaction, a citizen hands Joshua money, in which Taylor takes issue with, saying he could "arrest him."
Later, Taylor and Joshua discuss his PTSD and is informed that Sunshine is a trained Service Animal for his PTSD.
October 13, 2021
Arrest and Tasing of Sunshine
Four days later, a suspicious 911 call was placed about Joshua "using dogs for money."
The interaction shown in the body camera footage show Sunshine performing her trained duties, and even knowing she was a service dog, Taylor willfully tases Sunshine.
October 16, 2021
Sunshine's Death
In the early morning of October 16th, Sunshine was hit by a vehicle.
Joshua and supporters had seen Sunshine several times, but she did not respond to any proven technique that typically returns a dog to its owner.
November 29, 2021
First Petition for Body Camera Footage
A NC Media Coalition led by WCNC Charlotte filed a petition for the release of the body camera footage from this incident.
A judge denied the release on the grounds of the footage may harm the safety and reputation of those involved, among other reasons that protected GPD.
March 1, 2022
First Rally for Justice and Compassion
After the closing of Pastor Moses' homeless shelter, Gastonia locals began seeing a familiar pattern of Gastonia officials targeting the local homeless population.
Monthly rallies at City Hall began begging Council Members to address the issue with the public.
July 27, 2022
Body Camera Footage Released
After 9 months, a new petition for the footage is filed. The Gaston County DA and GPD file a counter petition to include October 9th in hopes to discredit Joshua's claims.
A judge orders the release of all footage from the 9th and 13th.
July 28, 2022
Sunshine's Justice
Picked up by national news, social media, and see around the world, Joshua said:
"Now people can see the police lied and Sunshine did nothing wrong. She was doing exactly what she was trained to do which was to help me and they prevented her from doing that. They interfered with the work of a service animal and brought harm to a service animal while also separating my service dog from me. It just shows their criminal actions and now they can be held accountable. I'm just glad it's out now so that it clears my name and clears Sunshine's name so I can get justice for her."