Chihuahua beaten to death caught on camera leaves Peoria family in shock

PEORIA, Ariz. - ***We do want to warn you, the images in this story could be disturbing to viewers.

A Peoria family mourning the loss of a four-legged friend is in shock after catching their neighbor on camera beating their dog to death. 

Now, they search for justice for the dog they say was an important part of the family. 

What they're saying:

This family is not only devastated over the loss of their dog, but also frustrated as their neighbor has not been arrested, leaving them with concerns for the other pets and people in the neighborhood. 

"When we woke up this morning, you just felt the sadness," said Brianna Camacho. 

The family says Chiquilin, known as Chiqui or Chicken Wing for short, somehow got out Friday afternoon.

Then the family got a call from a neighbor who said another neighbor was seen on camera beating Chiqui with a shovel and tossing his body over a wall.

"She was like, 'yeah, he just threw him over the fence' and when we walked, I told him and I was still on the phone with her and we ran outside and the next thing you know is when we're running over there, my dog's just laying on the floor," said Brianna. 

Chiqui's injuries were so serious that the family had to say goodbye Friday night. 

"He protected us. If anybody came, he was there to protect and also a really good family member," said Isaac Cuniga.

"Chiquilin was a good dog. He was a very good dog. He, he was the sweetest," said Brianna. 

Why you should care:

Their sadness quickly turned to anger at the actions that led to Chiqui's death. 

"People never even imagine that people have the heart to do that," said Brianna. "But yet again, we don't know how people are. We don't know who they are. We don't know what they're capable of." 

What's next:

Peoria Police say the neighbor claimed self-defense and that Chiqui was coming after his pets, so he tried to "swat the dog from behind" and Chiqui turned at the wrong time. 

Police say after viewing the dash-cam video, the footage tells a different story. 

The family is now fearful for the safety of their other dogs and their two-year-old son. 

"It makes us think, you know, what if a kid accidentally throws a ball over or something. If he did that to a dog, what would he do to a kid, you know?" said Isaac.  

Dig deeper:

Peoria Police say animal cruelty charges are pending in this open investigation.  

They have not shared the man's name because of the open investigation and animal cruelty charges are still pending.

Officers did not have the dash-cam video until this evening.

We will share updates in this case when they become available.