A Miami-Dade police officer is under investigation after a home surveillance camera captured him shooting and killing a family dog.
The incident happened outside of a home in unincorporated Miami-Dade near Miami Gardens around 7 p.m. Wednesday as the police officer was responding to complaints of dogs barking.
In the video, one of the residents and an officer are seen having a conversation. When the resident steps back inside the home, two dogs run out. An American Bully dog runs up to the officers, barking. One of the officers takes out his gun and shoots at the dog seven times.
The owners are seen running out of the house, and a woman screams and cries when she sees the dog. The entire incident was captured by a home surveillance camera.
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An animal rights group is now calling for the Miami-Dade Police Department to better train officers on how to handle these situations.
"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," the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation said in a statement. "This 8-month-old puppy, Alpha, displayed no aggression and did not deserve to die like this."
The owners of Alpha retained an attorney, Gregory Moore, who 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,"
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The Miami-Dade Police Department said it is conducting an internal investigation into the incident and did not release further information.
"Seven times? A bit of excessive force, I think," said Dahlia Canes of the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation. "The dog was not an elephant for God’s sake."
