DA: No charges to be filed against Ambridge officer who shot dog
AMBRIDGE – After reviewing witness testimony and video footage from the shooting of a dog at the Ambridge Police Department, officials are saying the officer involved fired in self-defense.
In a release from Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier, it was announced Monday no charges would be filed against the officer who shot and killed a dog in the Ambridge Municipal Complex parking lot on May 12. When discussing the decision, Lozier said video footage from the adjacent district justice office and the police station's garage shows angles of the dog acting aggressively and attacking the officer.
"The dog charged out of the kennel, barking, and went straight for the officer," he said. "The officer back peddled as fast as he could to avoid being mauled. The dog jumped at the officer, the officer, still running backward, pulled out his firearm and shot the dog as it jumped at him, mere inches from the officer."
As of Monday, the Times had not been able to independently review the footage of the incident and confirm this sequence of events. The footage has been returned to Ambridge's solicitor, who will make the final determination on whether the video will be released to the public. The officers involved have not been identified.
According to Lozier's release, police received reports that the large female mastiff was found wandering on its own earlier that morning and it was taken to the Ambridge Police Department to be secured in a kennel. When officers were unable to identify the owner, they report they "nonchalantly" approached the dog and it began to retreat from officers.
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When officers attempted to calm the dog and reached out their hands, the dog began to growl and snap at them, biting one in the knee as he retreated from the kennel. Officers also attempted to use a dog pole to snare and remove the dog from the kennel, but decided it was unsafe and left the area while they waited for the dog to calm down.
Officers said around 12:32 p.m. the dog "somehow" escaped from the kennel and was found wandering around the area. As she walked back into the kennel, an officer retrieved the pole once again in an attempt to close the kennel door. When he approached, the dog rushed at the officer the officer backed up, pulled out his firearm and shot the dog.
While there is no video footage of the kennel, which Lozier says was blocked by police cars in the recording, the reviewed footage does have two angles of the dog moments before being shot. Lozier said one angle, which was obtained from the district justice office, shows the officer on the phone for several minutes outside the station.
When the officer sees the dog, Lozier said he moves behind a cruiser and then is seen five seconds later retreating from the dog. As the dog jumps at him, the district attorney said the officer fired at the dog, killing it.
In another angle, Lozier said a second officer and witness to the event can be seen exiting the police station garage when they see the dog acting aggressively. He said they appear to be frightened from both video angles, with the two individuals then retreating into the garage. At the edge of this second video feed, Lozier said the officer can be seen again as the dog jumps to attack him.
After the incident, the dog was covered with cardboard as it was left bleeding in the parking lot, in plain view of passersby on the prominent borough road. Officers said they believed the animal was dead, but when they went to take the dog to the Beaver County Humane Society, they discovered it was still breathing. When they called a veterinarian from the humane society for locations for treatment, Lozier said officers "were told to euthanize the dog."
Across social media, residents have remained critical of the department's handling of the dog and demand accountability for the situation. Many critics have pointed out the differences in the department's original post about the mastiff, which they described as a "pleasant pup," from a later post that described the dog as aggressive and a "pitbull/mastiff" mix. They also take issue with the dog being left dying alone for more than an hour before police shot her again. As of Monday, no one had stepped forward to claim ownership of the dog.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: No charges to be filed against Ambridge officer who shot dog
