Dog shot, killed by Cobb County officers | Response from police chief

ATLANTA — The Cobb County Police Department is speaking out following a controversial shooting by one of its officers that led to the death of a family's dog earlier this month.

On Monday, Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer addressed the shooting, though he hesitated to provide too many details, considering it is still under investigation. However, VanHoozer did mention the situation as the “potential for legal action.”

Back on Dec. 2, officers said they responded to a call for help in the area around Macland Road, near Corner Road. The department originally said the information provided indicated that a voice was heard shouting “Help me” on a 911-only cell phone.

When officers responded, they began searching the area and ended up at a home on Macland Road. They walked up to the front door and began talking to the homeowners, the department said.

Cobb County Police then said the family dogs began to leave the home and despite the homeowners' attempts at restraining them, one of the dogs ran toward the officers. The officer “perceived the dog's actions as potentially threatening” and ultimately ended up shooting and killing the dog “in an effort to protect himself,” according to police.

When asked about the department's protocol for encountering pets, VanHoozer stated it's “similar to what you see in other situations…officers have to make split-second decisions.”

VanHoozer also noted that the officers involved in the incident are still on the job despite the ongoing investigation and that the department was unable to determine the origin of the initiating 911 call. The chief was also asked why the officers didn't just tase the dog, to which he claimed that by doing so, they risk making the animal more agitated and creating a greater safety risk.

VanHoozer was asked whether there had been any contact between the dog and the officers, to which he replied, “You be the judge of any contact,” pointing to the newly-released bodycam.

The video shows the moment the dog slipped by the family and was shot by police. The video below may be difficult for some viewers to watch. 

VanHoozer admitted, “I do not believe any officers were injured; they were not bitten.”

The family, Tessa and Justin Carr, took to social media to explain their side of the story.

Tessa explained that she, her husband and their three children were all at home around 9 p.m. when they heard the doorbell ring. She said when her husband opened the door, he said he saw blue flashing lights and announced that there were police officers outside.

She said the glass screen door on the front door didn't latch and her two dogs, Zeta and Hank followed him outside. She said they were able to get Hank inside, but Zeta followed her husband out where the officers were.

They said Zeta walked down the steps to get closer and then barked and growled at the officers. Tessa explained this was not unusual behavior from her bird dog lab mix.

“Zeta will come towards you and bark but will NOT get close enough to someone she deems ‘dangerous' nor allow them to touch her,” she said in the Facebook post.

Tessa said she was heading back inside when she heard Justin scream, “Don't shoot her!” That's when Tessa said she heard one of the officers open fire on their dog, Zeta. She described that's when her husband said, “Why did you shoot her? She was just barking at you!”

In the post, Tessa also responded to Cobb County Police's statement about why they were there on the property regarding the 911 call. Tessa claimed that her family was not at home when the “screaming” happened and that her dogs were in their crates, so the police officers were at the wrong house. She also said her neighbors are her mother and her cousin, and they were not screaming, either, suggesting the officers were not in the correct location.

Tessa explained that her three kids were outside after Zeta had been shot and said that her kids, watched their dog die in front of their home.