By Police1 Staff
NAMPA, Idaho — Footage from a body-worn camera has led a dog owner to make a heartfelt apology to the officer who fatally shot his pit bull.
The incident began Monday night when police responded to a welfare check at a Nampa home, KTVB reported. Seconds after an officer knocked, announcing their arrival, two dogs charged through the doorway.
In the video, an officer moves backward before shooting one of the dogs, a mastiff-pit bull mix. Anthony O’Hare, its owner, was next to arrive on the scene.
“I came running out the door, and I saw my wife with my dog, laying on the ground,” O’Hare said. “She’s flipping out. Everybody’s flipping out.”
At a Wednesday press conference, the officer’s belt was displayed, which showed bite marks on his can of OC spray. During the press conference, KTVB showed a stunned O’Hare the police video of what happened.
“To me, it sounded like you saw the dog, he came up, he came down, then you shot him,” said O’Hare, speaking to the officer. “But...I would’ve done the same thing. I swear I would’ve.”
In a Facebook poll, most viewers agreed the officer did the right thing.
“I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart that that police officer had to deal with that,” O’Hare said. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. I wish I could take it back.”