No charges—yet—in fatal shooting of beloved Tri-State dog trainer

KENTON COUNTY, Ky. (FOX19) - People in the dog training community are mourning the loss of one of the field’s most popular local trainers.

Authorities say 33-year-old Megan McCray was killed last week in what Kenton County Prosecutor Rob Sanders says may have been an accidental shooting.

The shooting happened Feb. 10 on Knollwood Drive in Taylor Mill.

There is no evidence right now to suggest McCray was murdered. No charges have yet been filed, though the prosecutor adds manslaughter or reckless homicide charges are possible pending toxicology and ballistics reports.

He explains, according to the investigation, she had been a guest at an apartment that night.

“The facts and circumstances that led to the discharge of the handgun is what is being investigated by Taylor Mill police,” Sanders told FOX19 NOW Wednesday.

McCray was popular in the animal care community. Social media tributes began flowing in after her death, many from coworkers who said they loved working with her.

Others spoke to the difficulty of moving on without her.

“It’s unreal,” Jeff Adler, a colleague of McCray’s, said. “You really can’t comprehend what happened.

He recalls he was sleeping last week when he heard a knock at the door. He opened it to find police officers bearing the astonishing news that McCray had been shot and killed.

“It just didn’t make sense,” he said.

Adler adds McCray played an “integral part” in building Off Leash K9 Training, the business where she worked for six years.

“Every one of our trainers has a piece of her in them,” he said. “She was always there for everyone. She was a bit feisty, but it was good, because she was a perfectionist when it came to her craft.”

Adler says it’s going to be difficult for the K9 training group to move on without her.

“We’re going to take everything she’s done for us and have her memory live on in our training and our animals,” he said. “It’s never going to be the same. It’s never going to be the same without her.”

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