An off-duty Kenner police officer shot and killed a loose dog outside his Mid-City house last week, a shooting that the dog's owner said wasn't justified and that quickly sparked a debate online over the use of force.
Responding to what they called “misinformation” online, Kenner police officials said in a statement Monday that the officer, who wasn't named, shot the dog on Friday to protect his pregnant wife and their blind, 15-year-old dog from an attack.
The officer's wife was returning to their Mid-City home after a walk with their leashed terrier mix when an unleashed pitbull-labrador mix charged them and attacked the terrier, Kenner police said. The officer heard the commotion and rushed outside to intervene. Police said the pit-lab, named Doja, bit the officer as he tried to pull the animals apart.
“Fearing for their safety and in defense of himself, his wife, and their dog, the officer was forced to retrieve his firearm and take action,” Kenner police said. “The officer's dog had to undergo emergency surgery and is expected to have a prolonged recovery.”
Doja was killed in the shooting, police confirmed.
Savana Campbell, Doja's owner, said in an interview Sunday that there wasn't any need to kill her dog. She was in her front yard with Doja when the dog pushed her way through a loose bar in the iron fencing surrounding the yard and darted down the street. Campbell said she ran inside to grab her slippers, keys and phone before chasing after the dog. She said she found Doja on the officer's porch a few moments later.
Campbell said she grabbed the dog and was already turning her around as the officer opened fire, hitting the dog in the left side five or six times. The close range gunfire was disorienting, Campbell said.
“I didn't even know what was happening,” she said. “I felt her body go limp because she was still in my grasp.”
Rumors and debate over whether the deadly use of force was necessary ran rampant on social media in the days following the shooting. In a handful of posts over the weekend, Reddit and Facebook users argued that officer could have hit Campbell or other bystanders when he opened fire in a residential neighborhood. Others complained of constantly unleashed dogs roaming the city and said the officer did what was necessary to protect his family.
An attempt to reach Campbell after following the release of Kenner PD's statement Monday night was unsuccessful.
New Orleans police are investigating the shooting and no charges have been filed against the officer involved, Kenner PD officials said. Campbell was cited for violations related to the attack, according to Kenner PD.
The New Orleans Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Though a big dog with a big bark, Campbell said Doja rarely barked and was really a big wimp who loved pets and snuggles. Adopted as a puppy in April 2020, Campbell said she and Doja spent every day of the coronavirus lockdown together.
Doja attended training classes and often played with other dogs and strangers at City Bark, a dog park in City Park, without issue, according to Campbell. Campbell said she plans to file a complaint against the officer.
“It really, really sucks that I live in a neighborhood where a lot of people don't have Ring cameras,” Campbell said. “This could have been a very, very different story and less hearsay.”
