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Falcons LB Prince Shembo accused of killing ex-girlfriend's dog, waived (Update)

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Update: 5/29 - 5:35 p.m. ET

Hours after news of his arrest emerged, the Falcons waived linebacker Prince Shembo.

“We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo," the team said in a statement. "We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this. Accordingly, we have decided to waive Prince Shembo.”

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Atlanta Falcons linebacker Prince Shembo has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend’s dog.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Shembo’s ex, Denicia Williams, called police on April 19 saying that Shembo had killed her Yorkie, named Dior.

From the AJC:

Williams told police she had taken Dior to Shembo’s home at a Mall of Georgia apartment complex four days earlier, according to police.

At some point during her stay, Williams left Shembo and her dog unattended. When she returned, Dior was unresponsive, she told police.

Williams took the dog to Duluth Animal Hospital, where Dior died shortly after her arrival.

(Gwinnett County Police Department photo via Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
(Gwinnett County Police Department photo via Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Williams told police that Shembo made comments the following day about killing the dog. After a necropsy was conducted, veterinarians determined that the dog had “significant injuries and the cause of death was blunt force trauma.”

The dog had an array of serious injuries.

The dog had a fractured rib, fractured liver, abdominal hemorrhage, thoracic hemorrhage, extensive bruising and hemorrhage in the muscles in her front leg and shoulders, head trauma, hemorrhage and edema in lungs, hemorrhage between the esophagus and trachea, and hemorrhage in the left eye with internal injuries, police said.

The 6-foot-2, 254-pound Shembo, who the Falcons picked out of Notre Dame in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, had 59 tackles in his rookie season. During his time at Notre Dame, Shembo was accused of sexual assault by a student at St. Mary’s College. The student, Lizzy Seeberg, committed suicide less than two weeks after the alleged incident.

Shembo was never charged.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!