LORAIN, OH — A Lorain police officer had to shoot and kill a loose pit bull dog about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning after the dog bit him on the leg, leaving piece of tooth in the officer’s leg, according to a police report.
Officer Adam Ehrke responded to a call about a loose dog in the area of 906 W. 18th St. Ehrke found the dog underneath a truck parked in the driveway. The dog was wearing a choke collar attached to a long length of chain.
Ehrke lured the dog out from underneath the truck with dog biscuits, and the dog showed no signs of aggression, at first, but when Ehrke attempted to take hold of the dog’s collar, the dog became aggressive and bit the officer’s left leg, the report stated.
Ehrke then drew his weapon and shot the dog once in the chest and once in the head, killing it, according to the report. Ehrke was bleeding through his pant leg, and was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Ehrke had two large puncture wounds and a small laceration to his left thigh. A X-ray showed what appeared to be a piece of the dog’s tooth in the leg and it could not be removed at that time, the report stated. Ehrke was referred to a surgeon.
The pit bull’s owner, John Armstrong, 56, of Lorain, arrived at the scene after Ehrke was taken to Mercy. Armstrong told police he was moving to West 18th St., and had left the dog chained the backyard around 8 a.m. Armstrong said in the report that the dog had all its vaccinations.
(Morning Journal - July 22, 2011)
