A Florida City family says they want an apology after their pet dog was shot and killed by a police officer on Tuesday.
A Florida City family is demanding an apology after a police officer shot and killed their pet dog Tuesday morning.
The officer knocked on the door of the family's home in the 800 block of Southwest 7th Street to let them know they had left their car door open.
The family's dog, Duchess, a bulldog mix, ran out the front door, and the officer pulled out his gun and opened fire. The shooting was caught on surveillance video.
"My daughter went to try to help her and she was still wagging her tail," the dog's owner, Gillian Palacios, said through tears. "She was there dying on the sidewalk."
Police confirmed the shooting but haven't given details.
Palacios said Duchess was shot three times in the head.
"I just think it's uncalled for. I could have grabbed her easily. He was not in any threat of loss of life that he had to pull his gun," Palacios said.
Officer Ken Armenteros, of the Florida City Police Department, said authorities are investigating.
"Right now it's an ongoing investigation. There is some new evidence that has come up that we didn't have at the time, so that has to be processed again," said Armenteros.
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The officer involved, who has not been identified, has been placed on administrative leave, which is routine for the department, according to police.
"There needs to be some better training for these police officers. This is not the first time that a dog has been shot," Palacios said. "The first thing you do is not pull out your gun and start shooting. That's the first problem, so there needs to be training."
