Dog Shooting by Va. Cop Has Owner Growling

The sound of his 70-pound pointer terrier's tail anxiously beating against its cage in the veterinarian's office was a welcome sound for Joseph DeMasi on Friday.

The dog, Copper, had been shot by a police officer in Radford's Bisset Park a day earlier during a response to a call about two dogs not on -leashes. Radford Police Chief Don Goodman said that based on the report, the use of the gun was for the officer's safety. The dog was shot Thursday afternoon, when an officer was called to the park at 3:25 p.m., he said.

Accounts of the story differ after that point. DeMasi, an 18-year-old Radford University student, said he and a friend were in a secluded area of Bisset Park down a slope, allowing their dogs to play by the riverbank.

He said Copper saw the officer, who'd approached from above, and ran over to greet him. DeMasi said the officer yelled for him to get his dog. But before DeMasi had the chance to make a move, he said, the officer shot Copper in the leg without further warning. Goodman said the officer, whose name wasn't made available Friday, was charged by the dog as he got out of his vehicle.

The officer repeatedly urged the owners to call off their dogs, Goodman said. The dogs continued at the officer in an "aggressive manner," Goodman said, so the officer drew his .45-caliber pistol and shot the dog in the right front leg. Both dog owners were charged with allowing an animal to run at large, which violates a Radford city ordinance, Goodman said.

"If the dog would have been on a leash, this incident wouldn't have occurred," the police chief said. DeMasi admitted that he had violated the leash ordinance, but he called the incident "police brutality at its finest." "There was no barking or growling, that's the thing," DeMasi said. "They weren't at a full sprint; they were jogging toward him wagging their tails," he said. "As soon as I see them, I start screaming. Before I could get any words out, the shot went off."

The officer helped escort the dog to the vet's office, where DeMasi was issued a summons. DeMasi said going to the secluded area of Bisset Park is something he and his friends do at least once a week to give their dogs a chance to play.

He said they've never had problems before, because the spot is at a riverbank away from other people and dogs. A disagreement with another dog owner over the dogs being off their leashes prompted the call, DeMasi said.

His biggest complaints centered on what he saw to be excessive use of force and a lack of compassion, DeMasi said. The officer had other visible weapons, such as pepper spray and a Taser, which should have been considered before the use of a firearm, he said. Further, DeMasi said, someone trained in animal control should have been dispatched instead of a police officer. Goodman said that routinely, such a situation would have ended with a warning or a ticket. The dog allegedly charging makes it a different situation, he said.

"He [the officer] probably would have just told him to 'put your dog on a leash,' and we probably would have gone about our business," Goodman said. He also said that less lethal options, such as a baton, pepper spray and Taser are designed primarily to "deal with combative people." Goodman also said that those weapons are used in close proximity, which is something the officer wasn't afforded.

Any incident involving use of force is internally reviewed, to make sure policy was followed, Goodman said. No administrative action has been taken against the officer, and outside of the review, the incident, for all intents and purposes, is over, he said. DeMasi said he didn't feel that the officer's safety was threatened and doesn't want the incident treated like a typical dog attack story.

"It was a really messed-up situation," he said. DeMasi said his vet bill so far is $500 and his ticket cost him $150. Julie Magyar with Riverside Veterinary Clinic said the dog will have to recuperate but will be fine. The bullet went through Copper's leg and caused some damage to the elbow, she said. Magyar said the dog should be in a cast for six to 10 weeks.