OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) – Following an internal affairs investigation into the officer-involved shooting of three dogs in an Ocala neighborhood, two police department officers were disciplined.
Two Ocala Police Department officers fired 30 rounds, killing three dogs, who neighbors say were about to attack on Jan. 29.
Chief Mike Balken says both officers involved were disciplined following an investigation into the shooting, which determined the officers fired recklessly and unnecessarily.
“Unfortunately, this was a tragic event which I believe we simply got wrong. Our actions were unreasonable; we’ve had to take measures internally to ensure that this doesn’t happen again,” said Balken.
The Ocala Police Department provided the following graphic body camera video:
Neighbors tell TV20 the dogs were acting aggressively the night that officers John McCurdy and Jordan Woods were called out to Southeast 42nd Road. The owner, Bryan Strawn, says the dogs escaped from his electric dog fence.
A disposition panel tasked with reviewing the facts determined that the first shots McCurdy fired as the three dogs ran towards him were justified.
Two of the dogs were hit and went down, and the third turned tail and ran. Neither officer was bitten.
McCurdy chased the third dog, firing at the animal as it ran. At this time, the panel argues that the threat was reduced and the officer should have stopped and evaluated his next actions.
Instead, McCurdy continued the chase while firing at the dog, potentially endangering people and property nearby.
As the animal ran between two houses, Woods, a trainee, attempted to cut off its path and fired at the dog. The panel also views this as a violation of department policy.
McCurdy then fired shots at the first two dogs, which were still lying where they had been shot, apparently too injured to flee. He couldn’t explain to the panel why he shot the incapacitated animals.
All three dogs died from their wounds.
Woods, who had only been on the job for three weeks, was given a 20-hour suspension. McCurdy was suspended for 100 hours and removed from the field training program.
Both officers were placed on administrative duty while the incident was investigated. They have since returned to duty.
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During a press conference on Wednesday, Balken said police department policy has changed following the incident.
“That policy now requires officers to utilize non-lethal force options whenever possible and highly encouraged pepper spray as the preferred method for dealing with aggressive animals,” said Balken.
The dogs’ owner says the incident took a major toll on his family, but the investigation gives them some closure.
“Right now, a little bit of justice has come from what I’ve understood from what everyone has told me about the press conference, and that makes me feel I would say 110% better,” said Strawn. “It makes me feel better as far as the justice part goes, but my heart being ripped out of my chest and shattered to pieces, that’s never going to be mended.”
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