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Alameda Officer Forced To Shoot Police Dog
Posted: 9:11 am PST December 17, 2009Updated: 5:14 pm PST December 17, 2009
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ALAMEDA, Calif. -- An Alameda officer shot and killed a police dog early Thursday when the canine attacked him while they investigated a burglary call at a shopping center.
The burglary was reported at 6:12 a.m. at a Coast Guard recruiting office in a shopping center at 660 Central Ave., near Webster Street.
Responding officers brought a police canine, Billy, a Belgian Malinois, with them to the shopping center.
At some point, Billy began attacking one of the officers. His handler commanded him to release the officer, but Billy wouldn't yield and the officer who was bit shot and killed the dog, police said.
The wounded officer was taken to Highland Hospital.
Just after Billy was shot, the burglary suspect exited the recruiting center. He did not immediately comply with police orders but was taken into custody after a brief struggle, police said.
Thursday afternoon the Alameda Police Department issued a press release stating that the suspect, identified as Douglas Wayne Kirk, 56, was the original reporting party to the crime and had actually called 911 from the Coast Guard facility he had broken into to report the break-in.
When the officers confronted the suspect after he left the building with stolen property in his arms, Kirk made statements that we had shot the wrong person and that it was him that was supposed to have been shot.
Based on Kirks actions and other aspects of the investigation, authorities believe the suspect made a conscious decision to call the police to respond to the scene where he purposefully challenged the police to respond with deadly force.
Kirk was taken to Alameda Hospital where he was treated for minor cuts suffered during his arrest, police said. He was then transported to Santa Rita Jail.
Police said Billy had been in service for more than three years and had gotten a new handler in September.
The press release also announced that as part of the administrative review of the incident, the department would undergo a review process to evaluate all the facets of the canine program. Until the process is completed, canine units will not be deployed for patrol operations. The program review will be coordinated by the Canine Program Commander, Lieutenant Paul Rolleri.
Alameda Officer Forced To Shoot Police Dog
Posted: 9:11 am PST December 17, 2009Updated: 5:14 pm PST December 17, 2009
Comment On This Story
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- An Alameda officer shot and killed a police dog early Thursday when the canine attacked him while they investigated a burglary call at a shopping center.
The burglary was reported at 6:12 a.m. at a Coast Guard recruiting office in a shopping center at 660 Central Ave., near Webster Street.
Responding officers brought a police canine, Billy, a Belgian Malinois, with them to the shopping center.
At some point, Billy began attacking one of the officers. His handler commanded him to release the officer, but Billy wouldn't yield and the officer who was bit shot and killed the dog, police said.
The wounded officer was taken to Highland Hospital.
Just after Billy was shot, the burglary suspect exited the recruiting center. He did not immediately comply with police orders but was taken into custody after a brief struggle, police said.
Thursday afternoon the Alameda Police Department issued a press release stating that the suspect, identified as Douglas Wayne Kirk, 56, was the original reporting party to the crime and had actually called 911 from the Coast Guard facility he had broken into to report the break-in.
When the officers confronted the suspect after he left the building with stolen property in his arms, Kirk made statements that we had shot the wrong person and that it was him that was supposed to have been shot.
Based on Kirks actions and other aspects of the investigation, authorities believe the suspect made a conscious decision to call the police to respond to the scene where he purposefully challenged the police to respond with deadly force.
Kirk was taken to Alameda Hospital where he was treated for minor cuts suffered during his arrest, police said. He was then transported to Santa Rita Jail.
Police said Billy had been in service for more than three years and had gotten a new handler in September.
The press release also announced that as part of the administrative review of the incident, the department would undergo a review process to evaluate all the facets of the canine program. Until the process is completed, canine units will not be deployed for patrol operations. The program review will be coordinated by the Canine Program Commander, Lieutenant Paul Rolleri.
