SARASOTA, Fla. – An attempt to pick up an aggressive dog accused of biting a neighbor took a violent turn on Tuesday in Sarasota’s Newtown area. Police ended up firing at a different dog after they said it became too aggressive, but the dog wasn’t injured.
What they’re saying:
“My cousin called police and said he had been bit,” said Vickie Dunbar.
Dunbar was ready to meet with animal control off of North Links Avenue in Sarasota. But, she said, when she opened the door for them to come get the dog, he jumped out of the car.
An officer with the Sarasota Police Department said her friend’s dog, which is a pit bull, approached aggressively.
“He tried to go forward, and as he went forward, the officer started shooting,” Dunbar said.
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The gunfire stopped seconds later.
“I started to feel the burn, and I was like, ‘Oh man.’ At first, I thought I just got scratched by maybe one of the dogs, in a commotion,” said Shauna Duvall, Dunbar’s friend.
Duvall lifted her shirt to find what she believes was an injury from being grazed in the shooting. Her arm was injured as well.
“For you to fire any type of firearm at any point-blank range and not even hit the target you are looking for is not acceptable,” said Duvall.
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An ambulance came to check on Duvall, and she refused to go to the hospital right then and there, until she confirmed her dog was okay.
“What if somebody would have gotten severely more injured than I did,” she said.
Big picture view:
As for Dunbar’s dog, Sarasota police came to place it in quarantine after it reportedly bit her cousin. Both dogs were removed from the property, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the shooting.
The other side:
The Sarasota County Clerk of Court lists a number of past citations Dunbar has received in regards to her animals. They include a previous dog attack as well as a citation for having a loose dog and improper tethering.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Kimberly Kuizon.
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