Nampa Police say they were conducting a welfare check on two children in a home on 13th Avenue North in Nampa.
Sergeant Rob Wiggins with the Nampa Police Department said officers knocked on the door of the home, but found the door was open.
Sgt. Wiggins says a pit-bull then came through the door.
“One of the officers was attacked by a dog,” said Sgt. Wiggins. “They attempted to fend-off the dog, but it continued to attack the officers.”
“It's our dog, it's our family dog,” sobbed Larry Carver on Monday night.
Carver lives at the home where the incident took place, and said he was there when Junior -- the 2-year-old pit-bull -- was shot by the officer.
“And Junior was right here, and the officer pushed the door, and Junior opened it the rest with his paw and he went after him,” said Carver.
However, Sgt. Wiggins said when the officer could not fend-off the dog, he made the decision to fire his gun at it.
Carver said the dog was shot more than once by the officer. “Basically he has a split second to make a decision,” said Sgt. Wiggins.
Junior the pit bull died.
“The dog was a great dog,” said Junior’s owner, Tony O’Hare. “He would never hurt anybody; he was just a real sweet dog.”
O’Hare says he's has never had a violent issue with his pit bull.
“We don't live in the best neighborhood, and I have two young daughters,” explained O’Hare.
However, O-Hare did say he trained the dog to protect his family.
“If I am not home, I know my wife is safe; I know my children are safe,” said O’Hare.
Mourning the loss of his dog, O’Hare said he does not believe shooting the dog was necessary.
“It's a family animal, and in some cases that is just like a family member,” said Sgt. Wiggins.
Wiggins said he understands the situation is unfortunate, but reiterated his message about the officer’s actions.
“Initially, like I said, he tried to fend it off -- that wasn’t working -- and so unfortunately, he had to elevate a little bit in order to protect himself,” said Wiggins.
Sgt. Wiggins said the officer who was attacked did not suffer any injuries. He also would not release the officer’s name.
The Nampa Police department will now perform what they call a “use of force” report. The report will then be reviewed by a “use of force” panel to see if the officer was justified in shooting and killing the dog.
BODYCAM VIDEO FROM OFFICERS:
(KTVB - Sept 24, 2012)
