A Davenport Police Officer identified as Ethan Bock shot dead a pet dog in front of kids and the video of the incident has gone viral evoking extreme revulsion an online petition with over 1500 signatories has been launched asking for action against the police officer.
The Davenport police on its part had claimed that the dog was aggressive and the police officer had acted in self defense. However the pet’s owner said that the 2-year-old dog named ‘Myst’ was his best buddy and refuted the police version of the story.
Davenport Officer Ethan Bock Fatally Shoots Family Dog in Front of Children
The incident happened on August 21 and was caught on camera. The video was shared on social media and soon became viral. The video shows the police officer arriving near a house where two kids are seen along with the dog playing on the lawn.
The dog can be seen running towards the police officer and appears to attack him.
The dog tries to bite when the police officer pulls out his gun and shoots the dog.
The dog runs unsteadily towards the house and collapses, probably dead.
The shooting was witnessed by the two kids who started crying loudly after seeing the dog shot and killed.
A woman can also be seen in the background who is sobbing inconsolably.
The owner of the dog has shared the petition online and has asked the public to join the initiative to demand accountability from the officer. Don Hesseltine uploaded a second video in which he narrated the details of the incident
Hesseltine stated,
“I’m the owner of that dog, and that’s my family. To provide more context: The kids were playing in the alley with the dog when a call came in for a cop to be dispatched, many blocks away. The officer happened to be driving by and told my son and his cousin to take the dog inside, which they were doing. Instead of continuing his pursuit of the four dogs at large, the officer decided to instigate an unnecessary altercation that ultimately could have been avoided…”
Hesseltine’s video which chronicled the entire incident was filmed by CCTV, camera installed in the lane where the kids were riding bicycles with the dog moments before the incident.
However, the Davenport Police Department in a statement said that the body-cam video clearly justified the actions of the Police officer who shot and killed a family’s dog on Aug. 21.
Davenport Police released video collected during the review which included videos from the neighborhood, body-worn cameras, vehicle cameras, and interviews.
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