Police Now Saying Dog Was Hit By Shrapnel In Midtown Officer-Involved Shooting
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The Sacramento Police department has 30 days to release video following a shooting involving an officer and a dog.
It all started just before 7 p.m. Wednesday evening when a security guard at a busy Midtown shopping center asked for help from an officer with a man who was being disruptive. While attempting to detain the man, police say the man's dog became aggressive and bit the officer's arm.
The department says the officer's injuries were not serious and tells CBS13 there was no need to transport him to a hospital.
Police say the dog later charged at one of the responding officers who then fired his weapon towards the animal.
Craig Trucelli was inside the Safeway where the dog ran after being shot at.
"[I] proceeded to leave the pharmacy and there was a young lady there that had a dog between its legs shaking like a leaf and we saw blood all over the floor," he explained.
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CBS13 has learned bullet fragments hit the security guard in the leg, the dog in the rear leg, and its owner in the face. Officers say all of the injuries were minor.
We asked former Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinnis when is an officer allowed to shoot an animal.
"When they perceive a reasonable threat, a reasonable likelihood of a threat posed by an animal to bring imminent harm to the officer him or herself or some other person in the area," he explained.
Sacramento police say the officer who fired feared for his safety, which led him to fire his weapon. Trucelli is just glad everything turned out okay.
"Our job was to keep the dog there, and it was refreshing to see how many people came around and actually stepped up," he said.
Sacramento police say the dog was transported by animal control to a local veterinarian for medical treatment and after a medical examination, the veterinarian located a minor injury to the dog's left rear leg. They say the wound was consistent with being caused by a bullet fragment.
At this point, the man who was reportedly being disruptive isn't facing charges.
