Romeoville police said an officer believed an attack was
imminent when he shot a dog that was running loose last week near Irene King
Elementary School.
Chief Mark Turvey said an investigation into the Feb. 19
incident is under way. The dog did not die immediately following the shooting
and was ultimately euthanized, police said.
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Police said the dog had charged the officer twice and was
growling and baring its teeth when the officer shot it in the front yard of a
home across from the school.
Raymundo Delavega, the owner of the dog, said the family pet
was able to escape from the backyard after a fence post broke due to rust. He
said the dog had gotten out before, but had never attacked anyone.
"He's never been aggressive," Delavega said of the
5-year-old dog named Joseph. Delavega said the dog would sometimes bark at
people who passed their home, but "he would never go attack anybody. He
never bit anybody."
Turvey said police received calls about a dog acting
aggressively on Feb. 19.
“The report we received was that the dog was snapping at
kids and adults in the area,” Turvey said, adding that one of the calls came
from a school employee, who said students had informed a teacher that a dog had
been trying to bite them outside the school.
The dog, described by police as a pit bull/boxer mix, was
first spotted in a grassy area near the exit of the Irene King parking lot,
Turvey said. When the officer approached, the dog crossed the street, ending up
in a front yard in the 300 block of Eaton Avenue.
Turvey said the officer requested a catch pole to secure the
dog, and approached it to see if it was wearing tags.
According to police, the dog growled and charged the officer
twice, despite the officer’s attempts to avoid the animal and take cover behind
a pickup truck. According to Turvey, the officer shot the dog twice in the
head.
“The first shot was when the dog was attacking,” Turvey
said. Although the attack ceased after the first gunshot, he said, the officer
made the decision to fire a second time to put the dog out of its misery.
“It appeared to be in extreme agony and the officer felt the
humane thing to do was to put it out of its misery,” Turvey said. “ … I know
this officer is a dog lover and he hated to do it.”
According to police, the second shot did not kill the dog,
and it returned to its home just a few doors down from the school.
Turvey said the dog had escaped from the backyard due to an
unsecured gate. The dog returned to the yard, entering through the same gate,
and police went to the front door and spoke to the pet’s owner, according to
Turvey.
Delavega said no one was home at his Eaton Avenue house when
the incident occurred, but his 18-year-old daughter arrived shortly afterward.
"My daughter was hysterical after all this," he
said. "She didn't know what to do." Delavega said police told her the
injured dog was her responsibility. She took the pet to an animal clinic in
Romeoville, according to her dad.
Delavega, who was heading to work when he learned of the
shooting, said he drove to the animal clinic, where he was told it was unlikely
Joseph would live long enough to make the trip to an animal hospital for
surgery.
"They said there was no way he would make it to the
hospital," Delavega said. "I told them to put him down."
Delavega said the clinic offered to waive the charges to euthanize the pet.
‘A last resort’
Turvey said police work to ensure a safe outcome for
everyone, including animals.
“Shooting the dog is a last resort,” he said. “We try to do
whatever we can not to do that. We deal with hundreds of dogs every year, and
it’s rare that we have to do this. We certainly strive to treat all animals
humanely.”
Turvey said the officer’s first priority was protecting
people from an attack.
“The dog appeared to be vicious,” he said. “We were very
concerned the dog would attack someone," particularly a child.
“If an officer is in danger of being attacked, he does have
the right to fire his weapon,” Turvey said.
Romeoville resident Jill Aikin, who is also the former
president of the RomeovilleHumane Society, said she was shocked to learn about
the shooting.
"I'm concerned about what happened and how it
happened," she said.
"If in fact the dog was vicious, where was animal
control?" Aikin asked. She also questioned whether shooting the dog was
necessary.
"They could have tased the dog," she said.
"They could have used a tranquilizer ... They could have done something
different other than shooting it in the face." Aikin added she was
troubled by the fact that the officer discharged a weapon so close to a school.
Community members took to Facebook and the local discussion
board Topix to air their concerns about the shooting, and Delavega said he also
wonders if it was necessary to shoot his pet.
"They told me they shot him because he was acting
aggressive and nibbling at people," he said. "I don't know what that
means ...
"I know we've got some kind of blame for the dog being
out," Delavega acknowledged. "If I would have been home, it wouldn't
have happened ... What bothers me is, why did [the officer] have to shoot
him?"
Delavega was also upset that his daughter was left to deal
with the aftermath.
"You should have seen my house," he said.
"There was blood all over the place."
Turvey said he understands the concerns.
“People are concerned that we had to shoot a dog and fire a
gun in the area of a school,” Turvey said. “There’s a lot of concerns in the
area and I understand.”
Turvey said the officer had his back to the campus when he
discharged his weapon, and did not fire in the direction of the school.
“You’ve got to be aware of your surroundings,” he said. “If
he missed the dog, the bullet would have gone into the ground … It appears the
officer did use the proper precautions when he did this.”
Turvey said police reports do not indicate that any children
witnessed the shooting. However, police are looking to talk to anyone who may
have seen the incident.
Aikin also urged anyone who saw what happened to talk to
police.
"The witnesses need to come forward," she said.
Anyone who witnessed the shooting is asked to contact
Romeoville police at 815-886-7219.