MICHIGAN -- A pit bull was shot by a Muskegon Police officer Thursday evening after the dog bit a man, then charged an officer who responded at the scene.
The incident comes a little more than two weeks after another pit bull in the city was fatally shot by an officer after it charged an officer who was responding to a loose dog complaint.
In the most recent incident, it wasn’t clear if the dog had died from the gunshot wound, police said.
The incident Thursday occurred around 5:45 p.m. in the 1000 block of Marquette Avenue when a 34-year-old man was walking in the area with his kids and was bit by a pit bull, police said.
Two Muskegon police officers responded to the scene and made contact with the dog’s owner. The owner said she had no idea her dog was out or that it had bit someone, police said.
When the two officers walked over to the victim’s house, located in the same block as the dog owner, they asked the dog owner to put the pit bull inside, which she did.
But the woman opened her front door again, at which point the dog came running toward one of the Muskegon Police officers, barking and growling. The other officer at the scene then shot the dog.
Authorities say they have had an increase in loose dog calls recently in the city of Muskegon.
Dogs that aren’t tied up or locked inside a home pose a risk to the public and police officers who have to respond to the calls, authorities said.
Per the city’s animal ordinance, a pit bull is considering a dangerous animal and has to be properly secured or the owner could be cited. The dog owner in Thursday’s case was cited for violating that ordinance.
(MLive - April 13, 2012)
