The officer was bitten on the hand, which broke his skin and bruised his hand before he shot the animal between its head and neck from a distance of between one and six inches, Clemens said.
The officer encountered the animal just before 4 p.m. near 12th Street and Prairie Avenue after watching the animal chase after an 8-year-old boy.
The dog was on a leash held by an 18-year-old woman when the officer saw the boy running from it, Clemens said.
“It looked like she was having a hard time controlling the dog,” Clemens said.
The boy made it behind a fence, at which point the officer tried to get the dog into his patrol vehicle, Clemens said. That’s when the bite and shooting occurred. The animal ran about a block, back to its house, but was taken to a veterinary clinic and euthanized due to its injuries shortly thereafter.
The boy told officers the animal had bitten three other kids, but Clemens said those victims have not been located.
The incident will be reviewed by the SFPD’s professional standards unit, which looks into any case involving use of force by an officer.
Because the dog was on a leash and had up-to-date vaccinations, no charges are likely, he said.
The last time an officer shot an animal was last June, when two pit bulls running loose reportedly attacked a man playing basketball near 14th Street and Beadle Greenway Park. The officer shot one of the dogs when it approached him in a threatening manner.
(Argus Leader - Mar 27, 2013)
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