CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Actor Angie Harmon filed a lawsuit against Instacart and one of its former shoppers, who shot and killed her dog at her Charlotte home earlier this year.
Harmon is looking to hold Instacart and the shopper, identified as Christopher Anthoney Reid, liable for her dog’s death. Her lawsuit includes accusations of trespassing, gross negligence, emotional distress, invasion of privacy, negligent misrepresentation and more.
On March 30th, Harmon used Instacart to order groceries to be delivered to her home. The lawsuit said Harmon texted “Merle,” an Instacart Shopper, about the groceries and where to deliver them. Merle’s Instacart profile photo was of an older woman, the lawsuit said.
While Harmon was upstairs filling her squirrel feeders, a “tall and intimidating young man,” not an older woman, was delivering her groceries.
Harmon said she heard a gunshot and ran outside, where her daughters and the family dog were. She walked outside and saw her daughters in distress and found out her dog, Oliver, was shot. The lawsuit said Harmon saw Reid putting a gun in the front of his pants.
Harmon rushed Oliver to the veterinarian’s office where the dog died.
In an Instagram post last month about the encounter, Harmon wrote that the shopper “did not have a scratch or bite on him nor were his pants torn.”
Instacart says it immediately suspended the shopper after receiving the report about the shooting, then later removed him permanently. The company says it runs comprehensive background checks on shoppers, prohibits them from carrying weapons and has anti-fraud measures that include periodically requiring them to take a photo of themselves to ensure the person shopping matches their photo on file.
“Our hearts continue to be with Ms. Harmon and her family following this disturbing incident,” Instacart said in a statement. “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.”
