Texas woman, 30, shot dead by rookie cop who was trying to fire at her dog which was barking and charging at him
ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Police have released a rookie officer's body cam video less than 24 hours after the officer accidentally shot and killed a woman lying in the grass while trying to shoot a dog charging at him.
The young officer in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, who was released from supervised duty on July 1, responded to a welfare check on August 1 about a woman who appeared to be passed out in a grassy area behind the plaza.
According to CBS News, footage from the body-worn camera released on August 2 shows the officer walking along a sidewalk and calling out, "Hello. Are you OK?" The woman replies saying "Yeah, I'm fine." A dog then approaches and the officer asks, "Is that your dog?"
As the barking dog begins to run toward him, the officer yells, "Get back!" He backs up and quickly fires three shots. The woman is heard screaming "Oh my God!" and she continues to cry out.
The woman was taken to Medical City Arlington Hospital and pronounced dead at about 6 pm.
Police Chief Will Johnson revealed at a news conference that the dog, which he described as a Labrador mix, weighed about 40 pounds and is believed to have belonged to the woman, who the Tarrant County medical examiner's office identified as 30-year-old Margarita "Maggie" Victoria Brooks.
CBS News has reported that Brooks is the daughter of an Arlington Fire Department captain.
According to Dallas News, police said that the officer, whose name has not been released, is 25 and has been with the department seven years, police said. He started as a detention officer, graduated from the police academy in February and was cleared for fieldwork July 1.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave following the incident.
People living and working in the area where the shooting occurred told reporters that they often saw Brooks walking with her boyfriend and that the couple seemed to be homeless. They also said that the pair always had a dog with them.
CBS DFW reports that people in the area remember the dog being a friendly creature that would interact with everybody.
"It was never on a leash," store owner Justin Patton said. "We saw that couple every single day with that dog. It would follow 'em out to the tree, up to the Walmart. It would interact with people, just sniff, tail wag and stuff. It was never on a leash. It was around people all day."
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Larry Hamilton, who lives in a nearby apartment but was homeless for several years and knew Brooks, said she was "a good-hearted person" who always made sure the dog was fed before she was. Acquaintances of Brooks said she was a regular in the area of the Seville Commons shopping center, near where she was shot.
Brooks was shot in the "upper torso," Chief Johnson said. The dog suffered a flesh wound and has been quarantined, the chief revealed.
"Everything about this call is an absolute tragedy," Johnson said grimly. "Our hearts are broken for the Brooks family and for the officer involved. Our officer was on scene trying to find an individual who may be suffering from a medical emergency. Clearly, this is not the outcome the officer wanted, nor is it the outcome that the department wanted."
Brooks' family has reportedly been shown the body camera video and criminal and administrative investigations are currently underway.