LOVELAND, Colo. — A Colorado city has agreed to pay $675,000 and update its police department’s dog encounter policy after a Loveland officer shot a family’s dog during a 2019 trespassing call, CBS Colorado reports.
In June 2019, a business owner called the police to report two people trespassing on the property. As Officer Matthew Grashorn arrived on scene, two dogs ran toward him as he got out of his patrol vehicle.
Body camera from the incident shows one dog returned to its owner when called, while the second dog continued running toward the officer. Grashorn fired two shots, striking the dog. The dog was paralyzed and later euthanized.
The dog’s owners filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, arguing the shooting was unnecessary and that the officer had other options, such as going back into his patrol vehicle or using less-lethal force. Grashorn appealed, arguing he was protected by qualified immunity and that the dog posed an immediate threat, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald.
As part of the settlement, the Loveland Police Department agreed to update its dog encounter policy and training practices, requiring officers to undergo dog interaction training every three years, CBS Colorado reports.
