Florida cop SHOOTS puppy six times after barking complaint in viral video
While responding to a barking complaint, a Florida police officer fired six shots at a family's dog, killing him. The incident, which occurred at 7 pm on January 12 in unincorporated Miami-Dade near Miami Gardens, was captured in a home surveillance video. The unnamed officer can be seen in the video standing in the driveway of the property. He had come to the address in response to a complaint about dogs barking. Two dogs, a white Maltese and a black American Bully, can be seen approaching the officer as they come out of the house. The cop points his rifle at the dogs and can be heard urging the homeowners in Spanish to "grab the dog."
The dogs bolt out of the driveway and towards another police officer, at which point the black dog begins to bark and bolts beyond the fence, where the first officer has been standing. After that, the officer fires six rounds in quick succession, killing the dog. The video then shows a guy and a woman fleeing the house in the direction of the police officer, and the lady begins to scream and cry when she sees the dead dog.
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"This incident did not have had to happen if the officer had been properly trained. We must do better to protect our 4-legged family members," advocacy group Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation said in a statement. Dahlia Canes, director and founder of the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation said, "He had his weapon. He should have used a taser. He could have kicked the dog before drawing a weapon and emptying the entire round of bullets. Again, it was not necessary in this case because the dog showed no signs of aggression.”
Miami-Dade police informed CBS4 News that the investigation is still ongoing, and the dog owners had hired an attorney, according to the station. Animal rights advocates have slammed the trigger-happy cop, and have demanded that police personnel should be taught how to deal with animals. In recent years, news reports from throughout the country have highlighted the issue of police shooting household pets. According to a Department of Justice study from 2011, the number of shooting occurrences in most police agencies involves animals, most commonly dogs.