TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo police shot two dogs over the weekend they claim were acting aggressively toward officers. TPD claimed both shootings were in self defense and justified.
Officers responded to a home in the 3800 block of South Avenue at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday after the homeowner reported an unknown male sleeping in the backyard. The caller stated the male had a dog with him and the dog "ran" at the caller's mother, according to a police report.
An officer observed Aaron Emerson sleeping near a picnic table. Police claim Emerson's dog "charged and leapt" at an officer, who then fired two rounds, wounding the dog. Its condition as of Monday evening is unknown.
The dog warden took possession of the animal. Emerson was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing.
On Sunday, officers were called to the 2000 block of Cherrylawn Drive at about 6:30 p.m. after a resident reported a dog running loose in the neighborhood. The caller told police the dog "charged" at her.
An officer located the dog in an open backyard, according to a police report. While at the scene, police claim the dog "charged" at an officer, who fired seven times and wounded the dog.
The dog then retreated to a rear porch where it remained until another resident took control of the animal.
The dog, named Gucci, later died after her owner, Derrick Johnson, took her to an animal hospital following the shooting. He was not at home at the time of the incident, he said.
Johnson had owned Gucci for six years. He would not go into detail about how the dog may have gotten out but said she struggled with behavioral issues for years. She was a good dog to him, just overly protective.
He said TPD should not have killed his dog. He said he will "probably have a dog again," but that he's learned from the incident and will take more security measures in the future.
"The moral of the story here is dogs are smart and sometimes they won't work out for you," Johnson said. "And even if you have that closeness with them, you might need to have an adoption for them if they become too vicious or what have you."
Toledo police Lt. Paul Davis, a public information officer, said officers need to be especially careful with dogs that aren't leashed or enclosed. They can't be reasoned with, so if it attacks someone or lunges at them, they are legally allowed to use deadly force.
Davis said the county dog warden won't come and collect a dog until it has been caged or enclosed, but with dogs often being defensive around strangers trying to corral them, that can lead to a situation where the officers have to defend themselves in turn.
"Each situation is different, and these happen in a split second," Davis said. "They're just trying to stop the threat, they're not thinking of how many shots they're shooting. A dog that's not contained could run around and not be a problem at all. It could get hit by a car or it could attack someone or a child on the street. So we just ask that you keep a dog in your yard or the house."
WTOL 11 has requested body camera footage of both incidents.
RELATED VIDEO