A Minnesota family is facing at least $7,000 of veterinary bills after a Minneapolis police officer jumped a family’s fence responding to a burglary alarm and shot their two emotional-support dogs.
Jennifer LeMay, the dogs’ owner, released security footage of the shooting. The video shows an officer climbing over a seven-foot tall fence and entering the yard housing two Staffordshire terriers.
The officer backpedaled and drew his gun as Circo ran towards him. The dog stopped about five feet in front of the man, then, wagging his tail, slowly approached the officer. The officer shot the first dog in the face, which fell and fled, and then shot multiple times at the second dog, Rocko, which briefly ran into the camera footage.
According to the Star Tribune, the incident began when LeMay’s teenage daughter’s arrived home early on July 8 from a camping trip. The daughter set off the burglar alarm but did not cancel it before police responded. One officer investigated the backyard before knocking. The video has since been removed from most websites, but can be found here.
LeMay’s lawyer, Michael Padden, released the officer’s body camera video July 20.
A police report acquired by the local newspaper said that “two large size pitbulls charged at [the] officer.” LeMay told the Star Tribune otherwise.
“Video surveillance doesn’t lie,” she described to the paper.
“He was wagging his tail,” LeMay said about Ciroc. “My dog wasn’t even moving, lunging toward him or anything.”
“My dogs were doing their job on my property,” she continued. “We have a right to be safe in our yard.”
After the dogs’ shooting, another officer knocked on the front door. The 18-year-old explained that she’d triggered the alarm and that it had been deactivated.
The family didn’t instantly take the dogs to the emergency vet because police told the family that “animal control” would be there in minutes to assess the dogs’ medical needs. No one showed up, LeMay said. Both dogs were rushed to an emergency vet and survived, but racked up thousands of dollars in medical bills.
The Minneapolis Police Department released a statement that they are investigating the incident, that they will assist with medical bills, and “will be implementing mandatory training specifically for officers identifying effective tools and tactical strategies with police and dog encounters.”
The viral video brought almost $28,000 in one day to LeMay’s Gofundme page.
LeMay told the Washington Post she is “lawyered up,” and she posted on Facebook that she intends to “Get F******* JUSTICE FOR MY KIDS,” who own the emotional support dogs, and for her 13-year old daughter who watched the incident, according to the Star Tribune.
LeMay may receive compensation. A Maryland jury in May awarded $1.26 million to a family whose Chesapeake Bay Retriever was killed by an Anne Arundel County police officer.
While many dog shootings are justified, police departments must train officers to interact with canines in close-quarter situations to avoid unnecessary incidents that cost the owners, and sometimes the taxpayers, a heavy fee.
