JOSEPH HENRY BROXSON convicted of aggravated animal abuse after shooting his neighbor’s dog

- Florida, USA -

State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden announced that on December 10, 2025, a jury found 23-year-old JOSEPH HENRY BROXSON (pictured), guilty of aggravated animal abuse and discharging a firearm on residential property.

The charges stem from an incident that took place on the early hours of Sunday, December 29, 2024, at a property in the 6700 block of McNeil Street. That morning, BROXSON’s neighbor’s two dogs got out of their fenced yard and walked into BROXSON’s backyard.

BROXSON shot one of the two dogs, a 1-year-old named Tank. The Office of the State Attorney tells me Tank is a German Shepherd and kindly provided me with his pictures.

BROXSON told deputies with the Escambia Sheriff’s Office that the dogs were “snooping around” in his backyard and that they barked and growled. He went on to say that he was so afraid they may approach him that he went inside his home and grabbed a Glock 19 gun.

BROXSON then came back out and stood at the edge of his lawn beside the street where he saw the dogs walking around several houses away from his. He then waited in his front yard for the dogs to walk past his house again and shot at them. Tank suffered two gunshot wounds, one in the shoulder and one in the leg. Thankfully, he fully recovered.

BROXSON was arrested on December 30, 2024, and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, using a firearm during a felony, and firing a weapon in public. He was released on January 1, 2025, after posting a $6,000 bond.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. before Judge Amy Brodersen. BROXSON faces up to five years in state prison.

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Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from the press release by State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden. Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

BROXSON’s mugshot shared from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office

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