COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Chloe, a lab and pit bull mix, was shot and killed by officers on Nov. 23, and the entire incident was caught on camera.
Police said the video showed them killing the dog after it tried to attack. Adams County District Attorney Don Quick felt differently, charging one of the officers with animal cruelty on Thursday.
Officer Robert Price will be officially charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a Class 6 felony. This was after Quick’s office investigated the shooting.
According to Quick, that investigation included a canvass of the neighborhood, interviews with 15 witnesses and a viewing of the eyewitness video.
That graphic video (a censored version of which can be seen above) shows the entire ordeal on cell phone video. Two officers Tase the dog first. The animal then attempts to flee, at which point an Animal Control official appears to snag it with a catch pole.
Despite appearing to have nowhere to run, an officer can be seen shooting and killing the dog.
Kenny Collins shot the video. He lives across the street from where the incident occurred in the neighborhood near 96th and Nucla.
Collins was also the one who called 911 to report a large loose dog wandering around the neighborhood. He said he didn’t know the dog belonged to a family across the street from his house.
The Commerce City Police Department ruled that the shooting was justified a few days after the incident.
READ THE REST: http://kdvr.com/2012/12/20/commerce-city-officer-charged-with-animal-cruelty-in-dog-killing/
