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The owner of Chloe, a dog shot and killed by police in 2012, has been awarded a $262,000 settlement from Commerce City, Colorado in the wrongful death of his dog.
Kenny Collins didn’t know his neighbor was dogsitting for a friend back in 2012. So, when he saw a large dog wandering loose around the neighborhood, he called police. His neighbor had left the 3-year old pit bull-mix, named Chloe, in the garage while she left to run errands. Somehow, the dog tripped the garage door sensor, forcing the door open, allowing her to wander the neighborhood.
“He never came at me in an aggressive manner,” Collins told reporters for 9News. He was never afraid of the dog, and the dog never showed aggression, he just wanted animal control to pick up the loose dog.
When police arrived, the dog was back in the garage, sitting by her bed. Police stood around for about a half hour, deciding what to do. When Chloe tried to exit the garage, an officer fired at her, at which point the animal control officer was able to loop the catch pole around her neck.
At this point, Chloe was restrained by an animal control officer. However, a police officer continued firing – 4 more shots into the dog, killing her at the scene.
Commerce City Police released a statement claiming that the dog was agitated, making several attempts to attack the animal control officer. They claimed that due to Chloe’s large size and aggressive demeanor, they shot and killed the dog for the safety of officers and the community.
But, a neighbor’s cell phone video told an entirely different story.
In the video, Chloe can be seen sitting calmly, not barking, not behaving aggressively. And, when officers approach, she cowers and tries to get away – she does NOT try to attack.
To see the cell phone video in its entirety, click NEXT.
Warning: The following video may be disturbing to some viewers.
Sherri Smith-Watson
Jan 26, 2016 at 7:30 pm
Although I’m glad the family received the settlement, it in no way makes up for the loss of this wonderful, gentle dog. At no time did the dog behave aggressively and was quite calm throughout. She did not even behave aggressively after being wounded and put on a catch pole and merely tried to escape the pain of the bullets entering her body. I find it unconscionable that the officer who fired the shots was not charged with animal cruelty as there was absolutely no justification for him shooting Chloe. I wonder if the video was presented as evidence in his trial.
Sherri Smith-Watson
Jan 26, 2016 at 7:26 pm
Although I’m glad that this family received the settlement, it doesn’t begin to make up for the loss of this wonderful, gentle dog. At no time did the dog behave aggressively, even after being wounded and put on a catch pole. She was merely trying to get away from the pain of the bullets entering her body. I find it unconscionable that the officer who shot Chloe was not found guilty of animal cruelty as there was no reason whatsoever for him to shoot this gentle dog.