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Dog shot by police officer
Topeka, KS (US)Incident Date: Monday, May 7, 2012
County: Shawnee
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Name Undisclosed
A Topeka neighborhood is questioning why a police officer shot and killed a dog.
Topeka Police say they were called around 7 pm Monday to the 1100 block of SW Plass to check reports of a dog barking in a yard and another dog running loose.
Sgt. Jennifer Cross says the officer knocked on the door and didn't get an answer. She says when the officer then approached a truck parked in the driveway next to the house in an effort to track down the owner, a dog ran toward him. She says the officer felt threatened and fired.
A photo sent to 13 News shows the dog's body, lying in the driveway behind the truck.
But neighbor Constantinos Mikls was among those saying he felt the reaction was extreme. He says the dog ran up to the officer in a way that, to Mikls, appeared playful. Mikls also says he was alarmed the officer fired what he believed was at least six times. He says children were outside playing when the incident happened.
The owner arrived home within the hour. He declined to speak with 13 News.
Cross says the dog was described as a German Shepherd-Border Collie mix.
Cross says the incident is under investigation, which is standard procedure any time an officer fires a service weapon. However, she added that officers are trained on how to react when they are threatened and they also are trained to know their surroundings so they do not put bystanders in danger.
The officer's name was not released. References |
