The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said it happened shortly before 1 p.m. on High Street, across from the Franklin County courthouse. Chief Deputy Rick Minerd said the community event was a chance for the public to spend time with deputies, SWAT members, and state troopers.
One man who saw the situation unfold said he stopped to pet the dog who was later killed and that the dog had not been on a leash.
“I knew there was going to be trouble,” John Smith said. “It’s a dog’s nature.”
Witnesses and the sheriff’s office told slightly different stories about what happened, but they agreed that the dog was not on a leash.
“The dog took an aggressive position toward a K9, one of our K9s,” Minerd said.
Minerd said the deputies saw it as a threat to the K9, people in the area and themselves and “took action,” shooting the dog.
Witnesses said the dog was shot multiple times, but the sheriff’s office said it was too early to tell how many shots were fired.
“It’s a community event,” Minerd said. “Ideally, this is not the way we want it to end and so it’s unfortunate.”
Minerd said the owner of the dog that was killed was taken into custody Thursday afternoon for outstanding warrants. He said the sheriff’s office would determine in an investigation whether the deputies acted appropriately according to policy and whether the dog’s owner would face charges.
The K9, Vando, is expected to recover from his injuries.
(NBC4i - April 28, 2016)
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