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Beloved Family Pet Shot And Killed By LAPD Officers In Mid-Wilshire
A 7-year-old Akita named Baloo was shot and killed by LAPD officers this past weekend, according to Baloo's devastated family. The dog's owners intend to file a claim against the LAPD. Officers responded to a duplex in Mid-Wilshire on Sunday, December 11 after receiving reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, KTLA reports.
Taylor Harrell, whose family lives in the upstairs unit of the duplex, told KTLA that they heard two gunshots and spotted flashlights in their backyard, leading them to believe that someone was trying to break into their home.
According to a GoFundMe set up to cover the family's legal costs:
We quickly called 911 and just to find out that the cops were already there. Confused we ran downstairs just to be detained by officers telling us to go back in the house with their guns pointed at us. They kept saying that they'll address us afterwards. The entire time we waited we were unsure of what was going on. When they finally came and spoke to us we found out that a police officer shot and killed our dog.
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"[Baloo] clearly had ran to the door to be let up and was laying right there and was shot execution style, straight in the head," Harrell told KTLA.
Baloo had been with the the family since he was a puppy, and has been described by his owners as "a beautiful American Akita that not only protected our yard, but the yards of other neighbors." The GoFundMe page alleges that officers entered the gated backyard without warning, which did not give them the opportunity to put Baloo in a safe place.
The family also posted a short clip Baloo playing with their other dog.
The incident is presently under investigation with the LAPD. As LAPD. Sgt. Jack Richter tells us, any shooting—be it human or animal—is investigated by the Force Investigation Division (FID). The results of that investigation are still pending. He could confirm that officers were responding to a radio call, but no other information was available at this time. KTLA reports that officers stated Baloo was barking at them in an aggressive manner, giving them no other choice.
Baloo would not be the first dog to be killed by officers responding to a call. Ian Anderson was distraught after police responding to an alleged domestic disturbance in his San Diego neighborhood shot and killed his 6-year-old pit bull, Burberry. Burberry followed Anderson to the door when officers knocked, and was shot and killed when he ran outside.
This is, of course, in addition to the numerous people who have been killed not only by local law enforcement officers, but authorities across the country, spawning nationwide protests over use of force. Just this week, Los Angeles City Council agreed to pay out over $8 million to settle lawsuits filed by the families of three unarmed men who were, on three separate occasions, fatally shot by law enforcement.
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