Salt Lake Tribune
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A Salt Lake City police officer attempting to protect two children and a dog from a pair of pit bulls fatally shot one of the dogs Tuesday.
About 2:45 p.m., an officer in his car near 800 South and Main Street saw a teen boy on a bicycle and two pit bulls jumping up on him as though they were attacking, said Sgt. Robin Snyder. The officer requested help from animal control and urged the boy to ride away.
The officer followed the dogs in his patrol car to an apartment complex, where they began to harass two other children, Snyder said. The dogs then left, and the officer caught up with them at a park near Fremont Street and West Temple.
Then he heard two girls, about 10 and 12 years old, “screaming for help hysterically,” Snyder said. One girl was holding a small dog over her head to keep it away from the pit bulls. When she dropped the dog, one of the pit bulls attacked it, Snyder said.
The officer told the girls to run away, and when he could not separate the dogs, he shot the pit bull, she said. The wounded dog ran north, while the other pit bull ran south. Animal control arrived and captured both dogs, initially taking the dog that was shot to a veterinarian in critical condition, Snyder said.
“We talked to the owner,” she said “It appears they were out in the yard and escaped from the yard.”
Snyder was unsure whether the owner would be cited. No one was bitten during the incident.
The officer was not placed on administrative leave and will not have his weapon taken away, Snyder said, but there will be an Internal Affairs investigation.
Snyder was unsure how close bystanders were when the shot was fired. She said investigators talked to at least four witnesses about the incident, though they were unable to find the teen on the bike whom the officer originally helped.
That teen is encouraged to contact Salt Lake City police to assist in the investigation, she said.
Copyright 2010 Salt Lake Tribune