Officer accidentally kills his own K-9 after neighbor's dogs get into his backyard
A San Antonio police K-9 is dead and two dogs were shot after an off-duty police officer tried to stop his K-9 from being attacked on the city's Northwest Side.
The incident happened around 12:45 p.m. Saturday near Lands Point Street and Hill Trails Street, police said.
According to the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), an off-duty officer's assigned K-9 dog was in the backyard when the neighbor's three dogs broke through the fence and started attacking the K-9. Police added the off-duty officer and his wife came out to try and separate the dogs. The couple was unable to separate them and that's when the off-duty officer shot multiple times to try to stop the attack.
Two of the three neighbors' dogs were struck by gunfire while the officer's K-9 was also hit.
The off-duty officer took his K-9 to the emergency vet for treatment where he later died from his injuries, according to SAPD.
Animal Care Services (ACS) was notified and made it to the scene. The 46-year-old neighbor was cited by animal control for numerous violations.
The officer who has 16 years of service will be placed on Administrative Duty, according to police.
The owners of the three dogs, Roderick and Amanda Harris, said they did hear screaming coming from the backyard and before they could run over to see what was going on and step in, they heard the shots.
"As I'm coming out I hear them over here like hollering like. 'Oh my god! Oh my god!' and I'm trying to go through the thing to get my dog. It was too late. There were like three or four shots. I don't know. That's what they told me. My dogs ran back into the home but Dutch died and the other one is in the hospital," said Roderick and Amanda Harris.
The Harris' added they have only lived at that home for three weeks and are renting the property.
There have been no previous incidents reported and they are angry that this ended the way it did.
"My dogs play with any dog in the world. They're not going to try to kill you. All my dogs are house dogs. My dogs aren't fighting dogs. They're not outside dogs, you know what I mean? They're backyard dogs. We walk them around. We take them to the dog park. My dogs are family. They killed my son,"said Roderick.
