The incident happened on Saturday on the 9,600 block of Nucla Street.
A neighbor, Kenny Collins, called police to report that the dog was running loose. He then shot a video of what happened next.
The video shows two police officers and an animal control officer surrounding the dog, a 3 1/2-year-old pit bull. At first they tried to control it using a taser and then they tried a neck harness. Then an officer fired once and then, with the dog secured, the officer shot four more rounds, killing the dog.
Commerce City police say the animal was out of control, but Collins says he thinks the dog didn’t start acting violently until it was tased.
“Correct,” Collins said.
“Do you wish you had done that now?”
“I have my reservations,” Collins said.
Collins said he thought it was unsafe for the police officer to be firing shots so close to his home and his children, who were home at the time.
Pit bulls are not allowed in Commerce City. The dog’s owner told police they were watching the dog, whose name was Chloe, for a family member. That person was given a citation.
The officer who shot the dog is still on active duty.
(Denver Post - Nov 26, 2012)
