Police Release Bodycam Footage of Officer Shooting Emotional Support Dog

A police officer who shot a dog while responding to a call will not be disciplined, Newsweek has learned.

Ace, a 10-year-old Goldendoodle, is recovering after being shot in the face while officers with Wayne State University Police were doing a wellness check at an apartment complex in midtown Detroit at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday.

Ace's owners said he is friendly and playful, and that the officer who shot him gave no warnings or commands before firing.

Body camera footage of the shooting, provided to Newsweek, shows officers approaching the apartment complex, searching for the correct unit.

One of the officers can be heard noting that Ace was nearby and not on a leash. The dog can be seen running towards the officers and barking loudly.

One officer is seen firing two shots, and the dog is seen running off and wailing after being struck.

WSU Police Chief Anthony Holt said the department has reviewed the body camera footage and interviewed witnesses.

A final determination is expected to be released later on Tuesday, but Holt told Newsweek: "The investigation is not going to reveal anything to show the officer violated any departmental policy, or his action resulted in anything other than was his job prescribed that he had to do."

He added: "What I reviewed so far, and what the video footage shows, I couldn't make any other determination [other than] the officer was not at fault."

Holt said the officer, who he declined to identify, has been with the department for less than a year, but was previously with the Detroit Police Department.

"He had no recourse, he was boxed in the corner with nowhere to retreat," he added.

But Robin Gamble, who says Ace is her family's emotional support animal, told local station WYXZ that there "was a million other things [the officer] could have done in that situation."

Her 18-year-old son Justin Fuller, who said he received Ace for his 10th birthday, told the Detroit Free Press: "Ace was at the house next to our house that he always goes to when we take him out to do his business.

"He spotted an officer and began trotting up to him, and when the officer saw Ace, he looked at me and then looked at Ace and just shot him."

Gamble said the shot went through Ace's jaw and cracked two of his teeth. He was released from Blue Pearl Pet Hospital on Saturday morning with stitches and a cone attached to his neck.

Gamble said she has filed a complaint against the officer who shot Ace and wants to see changes in how the police treat animals.

Holt said the complaint will be thoroughly reviewed.

"It's not like we don't care. We're a very dog-friendly campus," he added.

"We are sorry, it happened. Any use of force, we're very sorry to happen. But it occurred and there's nothing that I saw in the video or what I know so far that will change the outcome."

Newsweek has contacted the family for further comment via email.