APD officer shoots dog inside pet store
TEXAS -- An off-duty Austin police officer shot and killed a dog inside a pet store Wednesday night.Police tell KVUE News APD Officer Leslie Lyons was working security at the Petco store near Lakeline Mall.
They say a 16-year-old girl brought a pit bull on a leash into the store around 7:20 p.m.The dog got loose and attacked a maltipoo dog.
"A pit bull came and just started mauling on this dog. It took five of us to try to get the pit bull off," said witness Jessica Ewald. "There were five children right in the vicinity of this pit bull."
After trying to separate the animals, people inside the store asked the security guard to help. She made sure no one was close to the dogs, then fired her weapon, killing the pit bull.
"She had the foresight to tell everybody to move out of the way. There was nobody in the background," said APD Asst. Chief Steve Deaton. "Once she had a clear shot, she took the shot, or two."
The other dog survived and is being treated at a nearby animal hospital.
Neither dog has a known history of violence.
Austin police say Officer Lyons is under investigation, though Deaton says he does not believe she violated any of the department's policies regarding animals. Lyons remains on full duty as the case is investigated.
(KVUE -Jul 4, 2013)
