Police officers in Michigan who shot a pit bull were justified in the shooting, said police officials who cited body cam footage of the shooting.
The shooting took place in Grand Rapids, on Sept. 14.
“After 30 minutes of trying to entice/snare the dog, attempting to identify and contact an owner including phone calls to each house, and after the dog charged at an unsuspecting neighbor exiting his house, the officer shot twice at the dog as it charged the officer in the street,” the department stated.
“The dog is fortunately still alive and has been reunited with its owner.”
“Law enforcement officers are forced to do things every single day that they wish they did not have to do...and GRPD is no exception,” the department added.
Owner Was at Work
The dog’s owner, Shequelle Robinson, was at work at the time of the incident, around 2:15 a.m., reported WZZM.A neighbor told Robinson over the phone that officers had shot their dog.
“When they finally brought her to me, I thought she was dead,” said Robinson. “She’s in pretty bad condition. Her leg has to be amputated now.” Robinson believes the police should pay for the medical bills. “It was not justifiable for them to shoot her when she’s on her own property,” she said.
Savonna Brown, a neighbor who witnessed the incident, claimed the dog, a pit bull named Youneek, is not aggressive.
“[The officer] was flashing [a light] and it got her attention, and she realized he was moving towards her,” Brown said. “That’s when she came towards him. And then she got on the other side of the street and that’s when he shot towards her.”
Money Raised for Medical Bills
A GoFundMe account was started for Youneek’s medical bills and has raised over $2,300 so far.People posting on the page, though, had divided opinions about what happened.
“I donated. I hope that with proper care and time Youneek heals from her physical and emotional injuries. She is a beautiful dog,” said one person.
“The officers were right to shoot the dog. They tried for half an hour to coax the dog in order to leash her. They only shot at her when she took off after a neighbor who came outside. Hopefully the dog makes a full recovery, but the neglectful dog owners should foot the bill,” added another.
