Officer explains why he shot and killed black lab

By LARRY HARTSTEIN

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An Atlanta police officer who killed a black lab while investigating a home alarm said he fired because he felt the charging dog was going to bite him and “cause great bodily harm.”

The incident happened Saturday morning behind a Howard Street home in the Kirkwood neighborhood.

Homeowner Elizabeth Feichter, who was not home at the time, asserted Sunday that Wagaman had other options besides killing Ciarra, one of two black labs the family adopted six years ago. Feichter described Ciarra as sweet and docile.

In his report, Wagaman said he heard a dog bark several times and saw two dogs (Ciarra and her sister, Molly) coming at him.

“The dogs were running full speed,” Wagaman wrote. “The first dog had its head down, tail down and showing its teeth.

“I felt that the dog was going to bite me and cause great bodily harm. I yelled ‘Get back!’ I stepped back at the corner of the deck and drew my city-issued weapon. I fired two shots at the dog. The distance was about three to four feet.”

One shot struck and killed Ciarra. Molly was not hurt.

A house sitter was home at the time. Wagaman reported that the sitter shouted “No!” when the dogs got out the back door.

Feichter and her family were visiting relatives in North Carolina when the alarm company called to say an alarm was going off. They couldn’t immediately reach the sitter, so they called 911. It turned out to be a false alarm.

Feichter said her sons, 12 and 8, are distraught over the killing. The family adopted the dogs from Georgia Lab Rescue when they were 10 weeks old.

Atlanta police said the shooting remains under investigation.