Body camera footage was released Thursday of the Minneapolis Police officer who climbed a fence and shot two dogs while he responded to a false alarm.
The graphic, point-of-view video shows Officer Michael Mays take aim, then fired at Ciroc hitting the dog in the jaw as it slowly walked toward him during the incident July 8. Another dog, Rocko, then runs into the frame and Mays fires twice striking the dog.
"Hey I'm going to sit there and say sorry about this," Mays tells Courtney Livingston, who lives at the home, in the video. "I don't like shooting no dogs. I love dogs so it's unfortunate."
Both of the staffordshire terriers survived but require extensive surgery. The department has said they will help pay for the vet bills. A GoFundMe to help the family has raised more than $36,000.
“Rocko is physically at 75 percent,” said homeowner Jennifer LeMay, who said the dogs are service animals for her children. “Emotionally and physically he’s not there.”
LeMay hired an attorney who questioned the police response.
"They need to assume responsibility," LeMay told WCCO. "They need further training."
Former police Chief Janee Harteau said they department would look into officer training for interacting with dogs.
"I've watched the video, and as someone whose family has included dogs most of my life, I can say that it was difficult to watch. This was an outcome that no one wanted. I've asked for an Internal Affairs use of force review. We are reaching out to the family to help them with the veterinary care bills to ensure that both dogs are adequately taken care of," Harteau said in the statement. "To help us prevent similar outcomes in the future, we will be implementing updated mandatory training specifically for officers identifying effective tools and tactical strategies with police and dog encounters."
Harteau resigned Friday in the wake of another officer-involved shooting. A woman was fatally shot after she called police to reporting a possible sexual assault in an alley behind her home.
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