Cop chasing suspect shoots two dogs that were inside fence, MI lawsuit says
A Michigan family is suing after they say a police officer shot two of their dogs, killing one of them.
The lawsuit filed in federal court lists the city of Detroit and a Detroit police officer as defendants.
McClatchy News reached out for comment Aug. 11 but didn’t immediately hear back.
The lawsuit stems from what started out as a traffic stop and ended with one dog dying and another being injured, according to the lawsuit.
On Feb. 13, 2024, a Detroit family let their three dogs — Jojo, Drama and Nina — outside in their fenced-in yard, according to a civil complaint.
Around 11:30 p.m., an officer with the Detroit police department initiated a traffic stop related to a stolen vehicle. A passenger in the car got out of the vehicle and began running, the lawsuit said.
The man ran toward the family’s house and jumped over the fence into the yard where the three dogs were, according to the complaint. Another cop followed him into the yard but quickly jumped back out to avoid the dogs, the lawsuit said.
At that time, the officer named in the complaint ran toward the fence, reached over and shot two of the dogs, Jojo and Drama, the lawsuit said.
The officer asked the other cop who’d gone into the yard if he got bit, and he replied, “No. I jumped back over the gate,” the lawsuit said. Then the officer told him, “I got scared. I got scared for you, bro,” according to the complaint.
The complaint said the officer was outside of the fence and the dogs didn’t pose a danger to him.
Jojo died at the home while Drama was rushed to a veterinarian clinic to be treated. Drama survived but her back legs were seriously injured, which now affects her ability to walk, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit said the officer didn’t give the family a chance to get the dogs and give them access to the yard before the shooting.
