LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) – A Lauderhill family is devastated after a run-in with a police officer ended with their dog being killed, and they said the tragic outcome could have been avoided.
Speaking with 7News on Saturday, the animal’s owner said he was a playful and obedient pet.
“He likes to play, he does listen to commands, he doesn’t go nowhere, and he doesn’t bother nobody,” said the owner, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera.
But Tookie, a 4-year-old red nose American bulldog, left his family’s home in a plastic bag, Saturday afternoon.
The canine was shot and killed Friday night in the backyard of his owners’ home near Northwest 49th Avenue and 18th Court.
“We were getting ready to settle down for the night, feed ourselves and the dogs and everything else, and we heard, ‘Pow, pow, pow, get down, get down,'” said the owner. “I advised my son and the mother of his child to ‘take cover, they’re shooting outside.’ I went to get my husband and make sure everything was OK. Next thing we heard was a knock at the door.”
Tookie’s owner said the person at the door was a Lauderhill Police officer.
Police were looking for her son, but Tookie’s owner said an officer had already gone into the gated backyard.
Lauderhill Police said the dog bit the officer, and that’s when the officer opened fire.
A picture of Tookie after he was shot appears to show at least two bullet wounds.
The heartbroken owner said this shooting could have been avoided.
“We could have put the dog away and allowed them to do what they came to do,” she said. “The officers came on his territory, they were unaware he was back there, which they should have just knocked on the door. He is a dog; they do what they’re trained to do. [The officer] is a stranger to him. We are sorry that the dog bit him but, again, it didn’t have to end like this.”
Tookie’s owner said her adult son did end up under arrest for a previous incident, adding the family had no problems complying with the investigation.
She just doesn’t understand why her dog had to die.
“We’re a middle class family. We do what we’re supposed to do: We obey the law,” she said. “This is heartbreaking. My household is broken.”
Detectives said the officer who was bitten suffered minor abrasions to his hand and was treated in front of the house. They said this investigation is still ongoing.
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