A cop brandishing his weapon shot his partner while trying to stop a lunging dog. The Detroit police officer is recovering after being shot in the leg by his partner on Sunday.
According to police, the officer fired a single shot at a charging dog. Instead of hitting the dog, he shot his partner in the leg.
In the Hackett and Prevost area on the city’s west side the officers were responding to a mental health call.
The officer was listed in stable condition as of Sunday evening. Some questioned the police officer’s response to the dog and the dog owner’s decision to not have her pet on a leash.
The dog owner’s niece witnessed the event and claimed the older pet was harmless and did not attack anyone.
“He was just going crazy with the gun, and I thought he was gonna shoot me because he was swinging the gun all over the place,” the niece said. “I almost had a heart attack because she’s not aggressive, she doesn’t even have teeth, she’s old.”
The owner said her 9-year-old dog is not aggressive, however the police officers have a different side of the story.
“The dog charged at the officers, the officers, fearing for their safety, one officer fired one round at the dog,” Detroit Police Commander Brian Harris said.
Thomasina, the dog owner, questioned why law enforcement used a weapon as the first response to her handling her dog.
“The first thing you think to do is grab a pistol and start waving it back and forth? No mace, no taser, or nothing? You’re just gonna take her out?” Thomasina said.
Thomasina has been issues two citations by the DPD for harboring a vicious animal in the City of Detroit. The dog owner said she plans to fight the citations in court.