PHILADELPHIA, PA – A Philadelphia police officer from the 39th District shot and killed a pit bull that was attacking another dog. The event occurred on Wednesday afternoon around 12:06 p.m.
The officers responded to a distress call about a dog attack. Upon arrival, they witnessed a large pit bull aggressively attacking a smaller dog. To intervene, The officer discharged his firearm multiple times, resulting in the death of the pit bull.
Tragically, the smaller dog also succumbed to injuries from the attack.
No injuries were reported among the responding officers. However, an unintended consequence of the shooting was the injury of one of the dog owners, a 66-year-old Black male.
He was struck in the left forearm by a bullet fragment that ricocheted during the incident. Despite the injury, he declined medical attention at the scene.
Both dogs were subsequently removed from the scene and taken to the Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Agency (PACCA). The entire incident was recorded on the body-worn camera of the officer involved.
The officer, a 30-year-old, seven-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and currently assigned to the 39th Police District, has been placed on administrative duty. This standard procedure follows pending the investigations by the Internal Affairs and Officer-Involved Shooting divisions.
This is the third incident in recent days involving aggressive pit bulls attacking residents of the city and police being put in a situation to respond by using deadly force against the animals.
