A dog belonging to a Salina family has been killed in an animal abuse incident in Wichita.

A Wichita teen is accused of killing the dog named Benji.

Wichita Police say 19-year-old Cole Carter was driving in the 33-hundred block of North Wild Rose on Sunday when he got out of his car and beat a small dog to death. Carter was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and carrying a concealed weapon.

KSN TV in Wichita reports the Nachbar family in Salina is the dog’s owner. They were in Wichita visiting for the weekend. A family member, who lives in the neighborhood, was dog sitting Saturday night when Benji got out.

Carter’s family says he suffers from mental illness. They say he’s grown up around dogs, and they don’t believe he would ever intentionally kill an animal.

The Nachbars released the following statement to KWCH TV:

“We are just so devastated. Benji has been a part of our family for 13 years. He was just so friendly and loving. Even our neighbors’ dogs just loved greeting him at our fence. We already miss him greeting us at the door with his toys when we get home. He had such a gentle soul. We cannot begin to even wrap our minds around the maliciousness of this act. We hope justice is served for our sweet baby and that the person responsible for this gets the maximum sentence. We want to thank everyone who has reached out to us.”