WABASH, Ind. (WFFT) — Wabash Police have released bodycam video showing the moments just before an officer shot a dog during a call Wednesday.
The prosecutor’s office has ruled the officer’s use of force was justified.
The shooting happened around 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police say three officers responded to a home on Ross Avenue after the homeowner reported a “big” dog was preventing him from leaving.
Here’s what happened next, according to the department’s statement:
The officers found the large dog, later identified by police as “Rufas”, loose in the backyard of the caller’s home. They noticed it was wearing a collar and tried to determine if it had identifying tags.
While two of the officers stood near the front of the home, a third officer approached the dog near the back of the home. The officer squatted and talked to it calmly.
That’s when police say the dog barked and charged the officer, jumping and lunging toward the officer’s torso.
The video, which may be too graphic for some viewers, shows two officers arriving and watching as a third officer tries to subdue the dog, which then attacks him.
Police say the officer then drew his service weapon and fired five shots, which is not shown in the video. The dog retreated and quickly died.
The animal’s owner heard the shots and arrived on scene seconds later.
The owner had let the dog in their yard but didn’t know that an earlier storm damaged the fence, allowing the dog to escape.
Police say the prosecutor reviewed the officer’s bodycam video and determined the officer’s use of force was appropriate.
Police say viewers “will be able to clearly see the dog’s behavior prior to the shooting.”
“The Wabash Police Department is aware that the loss of a family pet is never easy. We offer our condolences to the owners of the animal, as this was a tragic event for all involved,” the department said in a statement.
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