Tuscaloosa Police officer shoots pit bull four times, killing it in self defense

ALABAMA -- A motorcycle patrol officer with the Tuscaloosa Police Department shot and killed a pit bull with his service weapon earlier this month, the department's public information officer announced Tuesday.
 Sgt. Brent Blankley said the officer was taking a break at a house in Tuscaloosa on Sunday, Nov. 3, when two pit bulls charged at him as he dismounted his motorcycle.

One dog, Blankley said, was a white pit bull and the other was brown and appeared to be a mix of pit bull and Labrador.

According to Blankley, the large brown dog snarled and bared his teeth while running towards the officer, who said he had no choice but to shoot the animal when it got too close to him.

Blankley said the officer shot the dog four times. According to the officer, the first shot only incapacitated the dog momentarily before the animal got up and kept coming toward the officer. The second shot stopped the dog's advances, and the third and fourth were meant to end the animal's suffering, Blankley said.

The second dog ran away after the first shot was fired.

Blankley said Animal Control was sent to respond to the incident and took the dead dog from the scene because it wore no identification and its owner could not be found.

Blankley said an internal investigation has been held and found that the officer acted within department policy to protect himself. The dog's owner came to the police department Monday and was informed of what happened to his animal.

 Another pit bull was shot and killed by police earlier this year when a Northport Police Department officer said he felt at risk because the dog growled and charged at him.

That pit bull was running through a neighborhood out of his fence and off his leash, but was the pet of a couple in Northport who were outraged by the killing.

(AL.COM - Nov 12, 2013)