UNITED KINGDOM -- Further details have emerged of the police shooting of a “dangerous dog” tied to railings and abandoned in Harringay Passage last month.
Armed officers shot the dog five times at the scene after an attempt to subdue it with a spray failed.
The member of the public who had come across the dog was standing on a wall in the alleyway near Seymour Road to keep out of its reach when officers arrived, shortly after 1.15am on Thursday, July 18.
This morning a Haringey Police spokesman said its trained dog handlers had tried to contain the dog with a restraining loop and “specially formulated spray” known as Bite Back “which is designed to stop the dog from attacking without harming the animal”.
They added: “Unfortunately this tactic enraged the animal further still. At this stage the animal was beginning to break away from the railings. To avoid the risk of injury to the public and officers the animal was put down at the scene by a firearms officer.
[Yeah, let's pepper spray a dog that's tied up and see what happens... good idea. Not.]
“Five shots were fired into the animal by a trained firearms officer. The animal died immediately.”
[Why was the dog turned into swiss cheese if the "trained firearms instructor" knew what he was doing? One shot - at close range - should have been sufficient. The dog didn't die immediately. It died after it had been shot FIVE TIMES.]
No-one has come forward to claim ownership of the animal, they added, and no details were given as to its sex, colour or breed.
It is thought the force has received a complaint from a member of the public about the way it handled the incident, alleging cruelty.
(Tottenham Journal - Aug 4, 2013)
