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.
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.
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.
Others noted the owners could have avoided the tragedy had they responded to the officer calling for them to control their pet.
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.
