A Fort Lauderdale teacher who’s accused of killing a puppy is out of jail, but is not back in the classroom.
Daniel Lamont Gray Jr. was hired as a substitute teacher in 2018 and has been teaching at the Pine Ridge Educational Center since 2021, according to the Broward County School District.
"The employee will be reassigned to a non-school site pending the District’s full review of the matter and determination of any employment action(s)," said John Sullivan, Chief Communications and Legislative Affairs Officer.
Gray, 28, was arrested Thursday and charged with animal cruelty following the death of an 8-month-old pit bull mix. He was released from the Broward County Jail Saturday on a $10,000 bond, records show.
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According to the arrest report, Gray was heard yelling at the dog named “Jack” about 4:30 p.m. Aug. 10 outside a home in the 11900 block of Southwest 15 Street in the Avant community in Pembroke Pines.
A witness heard Gray screaming, “man, don’t you ever bite me again. I’ll take your life. I’ll kill you with my bare hands,” the report stated.
The witness also heard the dog yelping and crying as Gray punched the dog in the head about 20 times. Gray kicked the dog about five times then grabbed the front legs in one hand and back legs in the other before body-slamming the dog to the ground, police said.
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Gray grabbed the dog by the collar and dragged it across the ground to the parking lot. The witness came outside and asked what was going on. Gray said, “he bit me,” and added, “if it [bit] my daughter I’d put a bullet in his head,” according to the police report.
The witness said Gray body-slammed the dog on the pavement again and yelled, “you see how strong I am, this is why I keep you locked up,” before dragging the bleeding dog into an apartment, the report stated.
Another witness later found the dead dog behind the building near a fence and called police. He identified Gray as the man seen walking the dog on previous occasions, police said.
The dog was taken to an animal hospital. The examination revealed several broken ribs, a punctured lung, blunt force trauma to the head, a broken tooth, bruised jaw, scrapes, bleeding from the mouth and nose, and a puncture wound to the top of the skull, officials said.
During police questioning, Gray denied the animal abuse and said the dog had been choking on a watch and died from the obstruction. Then, Gray changed his story to say the dog was hit by a car and later died in Gray’s bathroom, detectives said.
An animal hospital veterinarian told police the injuries were not the result of a dog fight or being hit by a car.
