While propped in a hospital bed with both arms bandaged, the 26-year-old, first-year police officer described a chase, the bloody attack and the shooting death of the dog, named Ziggy.
"Honestly, when I got here I thought I was just going to get some stitches and go back to work," he said, adding that it was better that the dog bit him instead of harming a child that might pass by.
About 7 p.m. Monday, McKenzie was helping respond to a report that Ziggy, a 100-pound Labrador-German shepherd mix, had just bitten an elderly man. Ziggy had just chewed through a tether and had attacked the elderly man near 1311 Highland St., according a police report.
McKenzie found the dog in a field and tried to calm it, but Ziggy charged and bit his right arm.
McKenzie discharged his Taser but missed just before Ziggy latched onto his left arm. The dog finally final released its hold and fled as McKenzie dropped to one knee and fired several missed shots.
Shortly thereafter, another officer struck Ziggy with her patrol car, but the dog continued running until it was between two homes near the 800 block of McDonald Street. The officer then grabbed her shotgun and twice shot Ziggy, who crawled to a nearby porch and died.
McKenzie was taken to Florida Hospital Waterman in Tavares for surgery on his left arm. Ziggy's body was recovered by an animal control officer to be tested for rabies.
McKenzie, who has been a police officer for seven months, said the ordeal was exciting even though the dog did get the better of him.
"I went in thinking I was going to do one thing," he said. "And I end up in a dog fight."
(Orlando Sentinel - Sept 25, 2012)
