On November 4, Patrol Task Force officers were conducting enforcement in the Target parking lot on East Main Street, a commercial area of town that receives frequent complaints related to vagrancy.
Around 7:50 a.m., the officers contacted individuals in a parked recreational vehicle (RV) and during the interaction, a dog, described as a Pitbull, immediately exited the vehicle and charged at an officer without warning. The officer tried to retreat, discharged his firearm twice at the dog, and fell backwards to the ground, sustaining minor injuries.
The dog’s owner was present during the encounter and was taken to a local hospital after sustaining a minor leg injury from a bullet fragment caused by a ricochet.
A second officer on scene also sustained a minor ricochet wound and was treated and released from a local hospital.
“We understand that incidents involving the use of force can be deeply upsetting,” said Chief David Dickey. “Our officers are trained extensively in de-escalation, animal encounters, and how to handle fast-moving, unpredictable situations. In this case, the officer acted to protect himself from an immediate threat. We take every use of force incident seriously and are committed to transparency, accountability, and the safety of our community.”
The Patrol Task Force was formed to proactively address crime trends and targeted problem areas in Ventura. The team focuses on restorative policing strategies and conducts street-level outreach to criminal vagrant repeat offenders and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Consistent with department policy and state law, the incident is now under investigation. Both the Ventura Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit and Professional Standards Unit, as well as the Ventura County District Attorney, are reviewing the case administratively and criminally. The California Department of Justice has also been notified.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has additional information is asked to contact the Ventura Police Department non-emergency line at 805-650-8010.
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“discharged his firearm twice at the dog” —- Was the dog killed?
Interesting question indeed… From the the read, the only ones hit were the owner an another officer, ouch.
I had the same question and read the article twice.
Clearly, the dog died. It’s clear because they won’t come out and directly say so.
I avoided reading this story for a few days, but curiosity won out.
It’s always sad when a dog (or any animal) is killed, especially when it’s needless. Not every dog that runs at someone who is in “their area” is attacking with intent to harm. Lots of dogs run up to people to sniff, jump, etc out of playfulness (and lack of training). Losing a pet hurts terribly, but losing one for no reason must be awful. No charges against the owner, so unless the dog was attacking, not just “charging,” sounds like a sad and needless death.
Now que BASICNOBRAIN with his “you hate cops” rant…….