Dayton police said an officer was forced to kill a dog late Friday night after hearing a woman’s screams for help.
According to a police report filed by Officer William Overholtz, he and Officer Jeremy Campbell were traveling along Nassau Street around 10:28 p.m. on routine patrol when they heard the woman scream for help.
Overholtz wrote the two officers observed the woman had blood “all over her arms and shirt,” where she told the two officers two more people were in the house being attacked by a pit bull.
After drawing their weapons, the two officers entered the home, spotted a man severely injured with deep wounds and blood on both arms. The reporting officer then spotted a dog in the corner with blood on its ribs, stomach and mouth. The dog then began “showing his teeth and growling” before taking a quick step toward the officer “as if he was getting ready to attack.”
The officer then fired a shot at the dog, striking him above the nose, causing it to flee.
When medics arrived they found a second man in the backyard of the home with lacerations to his arms that appeared to be dog bites.
After a Dayton police sergeant arrived, Overholtz was told to “put the dog down to prevent further incident.”
Overholtz then fired another shot at the dog’s head, killing it.
An interview with the dog bite victims revealed the dog had bitten a man earlier in the day in an unrelated domestic dispute. After the incident, the dog tried jumping on the owner and accidentally ripped a toenail off, which the owner said caused the dog to be upset “ever since.”
The dog shortly began attacking the people in the house.
The Animal Resource Center arrived at the home to recover the carcass. According to the police report, officers were informed the center was “unsure” an accurate test of rabies could be conducted, due to the location where the dog was shot.
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