Woman says LAPD officer shot and killed her dog outside Canoga Park home
Woman says LAPD officer shot and killed her dog
A Canoga Park woman says her dog, Jamison, was shot and killed by an LAPD officer outside her condominium complex Saturday night.
LOS ANGELES - A heartbreaking video has been viewed more than two million times, showing a woman sobbing over her dog after she says he was shot and killed by a Los Angeles Police Department officer outside her Canoga Park home.
The shooting happened Saturday night at the Jordan Condominiums at 7551 Jordan Avenue, the same night the New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years.
What they're saying:
Marie Marseille, a nurse originally from New York, was inside watching the Knicks celebrate their title. Her Golden Saint Berdoodle, Jamison, was even dressed for the occasion, wearing a Knicks jersey.
But the celebration was cut short.
LAPD officers were dispatched to the complex after a neighbor called 911 reporting loud voices and a possible domestic dispute between two women.
When officers arrived, Marseille says she was alone.
"I’m like, ‘Oh no, it’s just me,’" Marseille told FOX 11. "And then they saw Jamison, and the one officer said, ‘Put the dog away.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, no problem.’"
Marseille says she tried to comply, but Jamison slipped outside and walked toward one of the officers.
"The next thing I know, Jamison is lying on the ground," she said. "But Jamison wasn’t baring his teeth, he wasn’t growling, he wasn’t aggressive, he wasn’t barking. He was just moving toward the officer."
Marseille’s grief, captured on video and shared widely on social media, drew an outpouring of anger from neighbors who knew Jamison at the complex.
"What is the purpose of all of you?" one neighbor is heard saying in the video. "This is what we pay for?!"
"He’s my baby," Marseille said through tears. "It doesn’t make any sense to me. I can’t make sense of anything."
LAPD responds
The other side:
A preliminary report from the LAPD said officers responded to a radio call for a "screaming woman" inside an apartment unit.
Shortly after arriving at the scene in Canoga Park, officers said they were approached by a large dog as they spoke to the woman inside the unit. The officers then asked a resident to secure the dog.
"The resident closed her door momentarily. She re-opened the door, and the dog exited the apartment. Once outside of the apartment, the dog charged at one of the officers, resulting in an officer-involved shooting," the LAPD said.
The LA Department of Animal Services then responded to the scene and took custody of the dog, who died at the scene.
The Source: This story was written with information from the dog's owner, Marie Marseille, as well as information from the Los Angeles Police Department.