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A police officer in Miami-Dade, Florida, responded to a dog barking complaint and fatally shot a family dog.
Surveillance footage showed the officer shooting the dog six times.
The incident happened on the driveway of a residence on Wednesday around 7 p.m., according to NBC Miami.
Miami-Dade police fatally shot an 8 month old puppy. \n\nPolice kill 25 to 30 dogs each day.https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/video-police-officer-kills-dog-in-miami-dade-after-barking-complaint/2662142/\u00a0\u2026— Emil Io (@Emil Io) 1642316174
You can watch the surveillance footage, here.
Warning: animal abuse and excessive force by police.
WEB EXTRA: Miami-Dade Officer Fatally Shoots Dog In Miami Gardensyoutu.be
In the video, two dogs–a white Maltese and a black American Bully–were seen running out of the residence towards a cop who was standing in the driveway.
He was heard telling the residents, "grab the dog," in Spanish as he pointed a gun at the pets.
The black dog, named Alpha, then ran towards another officer who was by a patrol car parked on the street and then ran behind a fence to where the first officer had moved to. The dog was barking the whole time.
The first officer then fired off six rounds at close range and killed the dog.
https://www.ibtimes.sg/florida-police-officer-fatally-shoots-8-month-old-puppy-over-barking-complaint-video-62272\u00a0\u2026\n\nToday, in "Protect & Serve" news...— Deth Veggie (@Deth Veggie) 1642470645
Moments later, two residents–a male and female–emerged from the home after hearing the gunshots.
When the woman discovered Alpha had been shot and killed, she wailed as the male resident started yelling at the officers.
The harrowing footage made Animal activists call on the Miami-Dade Police Department to undergo training on how to properly handle animals in future situations.
The Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation issued a statement, saying:
"This incident did not have had to happen if the officer had been properly trained. We must do better to protect our 4-legged family members."
"This 8-month-old puppy, Alpha, displayed no aggression and did not deserve to die like this."
Dahlia Canes of the group said:
"Seven times? A bit of excessive force, I think. The dog was not an elephant for God’s sake."
Reactions were more mixed online. Some people were both saddened and furious over the death of an innocent animal.
Yes\u2026aggressive. A dog that comes running up, wagging its tail, then starts to sniff you. Is aggressive. Then the puppy went to do the same with the other cop. It was curious, not aggressive. You\u2019d know if it was aggressive, but that, that was not aggressive.— Thomas Gard (@Thomas Gard) 1642365131
He kept insisting that the poor dog be leashed. It's pretty obvious by the tail wagging that that the dog was just friendly and curious. What's just as painful as the shooting of the dog is the despair and grief of the dog's owner when she discovers that her dog is dead.— Larry Brown (@Larry Brown) 1642383469
What is wrong with these police officers? Were they not given proper training? This is outrageous! They seem to want to shoot first and ask questions later— Ducks Can Resist Too \ud83c\udf0a\ud83d\udc99\ud83e\udd86 (@Ducks Can Resist Too \ud83c\udf0a\ud83d\udc99\ud83e\udd86) 1642363927
When you think you\u2019re a hammer everything looks like a nail. These guys need to go back in time and work out their issues with being cut from the HS football team— Jason Marino (@Jason Marino) 1642361281
Stop giving people badges that are afraid of their own shadow. There was never a hint of danger. And the need to fire off 7-8 shots. Christ.— Scott Thomas (@Scott Thomas) 1642361702
The puppy was reaching for a gun?— Lynn (she/her) (@Lynn (she/her)) 1642361179
I think it's time we disarmed the police. They are clearly not responsible with their firearms.— El Presidente Demands Satisfaction! (@El Presidente Demands Satisfaction!) 1642364657
Others noted the owners could have avoided the tragedy had they responded to the officer calling for them to control their pet.
In this instance, the officer told the family at least 5 times to get their dog. From this angle I did not see the family attempt to do so nor could I hear them call for their dog. I\u2019m a dog owner and an advocate for police reform. Owners are responsible for their dogs.— julius ceez (@julius ceez) 1642362350
Well, when you let loose your dogs on police these things can happen. I\u2019m on the fence but leaning on the side of the police on this one and I have five dogs.— Jassodra from Trinidad (@Jassodra from Trinidad) 1642361622
If you don\u2019t understand Spanish the cop keeps asking over & over for them to secure the dog. I\u2019m not saying the shooting is justified but there are people with severe dog phobia\u2019s like a friend of mine who was bitten as a child.— \u26e9 Juan P \u26e9 (@\u26e9 Juan P \u26e9) 1642362093
Obviously we can't see the dog's demeanor, but you can't let your dogs lose on police.— B\u044f\u0454\u03b1zz\u0443\u2202 (@B\u044f\u0454\u03b1zz\u0443\u2202) 1642361297
I get any dog can bite.\nBut after the cop "survived" being sniffed, the cop pursued the dog instead of standing where the dog left him.\n\nThe cop knew shooting the dog on the owners property wouldn't get a pass an off-property shooting would.\n\nStill, owners must control their pets— Kokopelli (@Kokopelli) 1642369115
Gregory Moore, the attorney who is representing the owners of Alpha, said in a statement:
"Our firm has been retained in reference to this incident. We feel heartbroken for Mr. Abraham and his family. And we believe that any police officer should not use deadly force unless absolutely necessary."
"When the officer has other alternative non-deadly means available to him or her, those should be used first before pulling their weapon."
The Miami-Dade Police Department has launched an internal investigation and has not released further details surrounding the incident.