Police officer shoots aggressive dog
A Cape Coral police officer shot and killed a dog Saturday after it reportedly charged him following an earlier attack on a juvenile.
At about 6:58 p.m., police responded to a report of a bog bite in the area of 2120 N.E. 24th Terrace. Officer Mathew Lemos learned the victim had been walking along the street when a brown and white dog ran out from between two houses and bit him on the leg, according to a police report.
Lee County Animal Control Officer Danielle Jersey arrived and located the dog in front of the homes at 2111 and 2115 N.E. 24th Terrace. The dogs hackles were reportedly up, a sign of aggression, and it initially prevented her from exiting the van. Jersey attempted to contact the dog’s owner by phone without success.
The report states that the victim identified the dog as the one that bit him.
This was the third LCAC contact in reference to the dog, the prior calls being for an aggressive dog. Jersey determined that the dog needed to be removed from the area due to public safety concerns, according to the report.
As Jersey attempted to capture the dog with a control pole and noose, Lemos had to use his baton to keep the dog at bay as it continued to make aggressive advances. After several attempts at capturing the dog, the dog charged Jersey, then turned on Lemos and began to charge the officer.
Lemos drew his service weapon and fired three shots, striking the dog in the chest and euthanizing it, the report states. About five to 10 minutes later, the owner of the dog arrived home and made contact with Lemos and LCAC.
Due to the family’s “hostility and emotional distress brought on by the loss of the animal,” police left and Jersey advised that she would return at a later date to serve a citation to the dog’s owner in reference to the animal being loose and biting a man, according to the report.
It appeared to officers that the dog had been chained to a stake in the yard and had slipped its collar to get loose.
While on scene, police also learned that a woman and her friend had been rollerblading in the street when they also were attacked by a brown and white dog. The woman and her friend were able to get away, the report states.