An 8-month-old, American Bully dog has been killed after being shot several times by an unidentified police officer.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, the fatal shooting reportedly took place on Wednesday 12 Jan 2022 around 7pm in Miami-Dade, Florida, near Miami Gardens during a response to a barking complaint.
In video surveillance footage obtained by CBS Miami, it shows the police officer standing in a driveway outside the family home. A Maltese and American Bully can be seen running out of the home and off the driveway, towards another officer in the street.
It then shows the officer standing in the driveway take out his weapon and fire several times at the dog. This is then followed by a man and woman running out from the house at the sound of the shots fired.
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The Miami-Dade police department are now investigating the death of the American Bully dog.
In a statement given by the Miami-Dade country mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, she states, "I'm deeply disturbed by this video. The officer involved has been re-assigned to administrative duty and the department is conducting a full investigation into the incident."
Owner of the dog, Lazaro Abraham, has since hired attorney, Gregory Moore, to oversee the case. "When the officer has other alternative non-deadly means available to him or her, those should be used first before pulling their weapon," says Moore.
Animal rights group, the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation, is now also calling for the Miami-Dade Police Department to better train officers on how to handle these situations.
"This incident did not have had to happen if the officer had been properly trained" the group wrote in a statement. "This 8-month-old puppy, Alpha, displayed no aggression and did not deserve to die like this."
At present, the investigation is continuing.
