Another dog killed by an Austin
Police Officer. An off duty cop shot and killed a Pit Bull inside a Northwest
Austin Petco.
Austin Police tell us the
officer, Leslie Lyons, was working in Petco on an unrelated overtime assignment
when a Pit Bull slipped out of its’ collar and began attacking a small dog.
After multiple attempts to stop the animal, Lyons pulled her gun and fired.
Pet lovers at a nearby dog park
in Cedar Park were stunned to hear of the fatal shooting.
"I would hope there would
be another alternative in trying to control a dog,” says Corey Weiner, Cedar
Park resident.
Austin Police say there wasn’t.
"She got them to move out
of the way and discharged the weapon. At which time the Pit Bull dropped the
Maltese, but did not go down, so she fired a second shot,” says Assistant Chief
Steve Deaton, Austin Police Department.
Assistant Chief Deaton says the
department fully supports Lyons’ decision to shoot and kill the aggressive
animal.
"I don't even know what I
feel about that. That's a hard situation. I think I see both sides. On one hand
this dog was attacking and killing another dog, but I look at it as safety
inside the store. What if it had ricocheted and hit somebody else?” says Kelly
Bruneman, Cedar Park resident.
In April 2012, an Austin police
officer shot and killed Cisco, a Blue Heeler, after the dog ran toward the
officer. The case received international
publicity and Chief Art Acevedo apologized to Cisco's owner.
After this case, Austin
officers received training on how to handle situations with a potentially
aggressive dog. Officers are now
receiving more in depth training. The training had been planned before this
incident happened. There’s currently a discussion to provide larger cans of
pepper spray for officers to use instead of resorting to shooting.