The Los Angeles Police Department has released body-camera footage showing the moment an officer shot and killed a woman's dog in the hallway outside her apartment in the Canoga Park neighborhood. The incident occurred on June 13, when police responded to reports of a woman screaming, which turned out to be cheering after the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA finals.
Footage Shows Encounter With Dog
The video shows Marie Marseille opening her door to officers. Her two-year-old golden Saint Bernard doodle, named Jameson, runs to the door and barks at the officers, whose faces are blurred in the footage. One officer immediately draws his gun, aiming first at the ground then lifting it toward the doorway. "Put your dog away!" an officer shouts. "That's a big-ass dog," the officer wearing the camera says to his partner. "I ain't getting bit by that, bro," the officer holding his pistol responds.
Marseille returns to the door and appears to hold it to keep the dog inside but does not shut it entirely. She tells officers the dog is not aggressive. The dog, wearing a blue Knicks jersey, walks into the hallway and barks again, pauses, then steps forward and barks once more. The officer with the drawn pistol fires four times. Both Marseille and the officer's partner are standing behind the dog.
Second Officer Also Draws Weapon
The other officer appears to raise a pistol into view when his partner shoots. Images from the body-worn camera suggest the other officer carries two guns. During the first interaction, his right hand hovers over what appears to be his service pistol. After Marseille puts her dog away, he uses his other hand to unholster a separate pistol, holding it in his left hand through the rest of the encounter.
Viral Video Sparks Outrage
A video of Marseille sobbing and hugging Jameson's body went viral after the shooting. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she spoke with Police Chief Jim McDonnell to ensure an investigation into the use of force against the dog. NBC4 reporter Eric Leonard noted that LAPD released the video faster than normal but did not provide raw footage. The footage was edited and officers' faces blurred, which is unusual. "We've been looking at these body-worn videos for years. I don't remember another instance where officers' faces were blurred ever before," Leonard said.
