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Police in Waco have apologised after shooting and killing a Texas couple's dog after being directed to the wrong house after a 911 call.
The black Labrador, Finn, was shot by police last Saturday after the dog "acted aggressively" towards police and lunged at an officer, according to the department.
The dog's owners, couple Cassandra Page and Matt Vasquez, have disputed this claim by the police however. Vasquez has said it is "absolutely incorrect" Finn was aggressive and said the dog was just curious about the officers, according to a Waco Tribune-Herald report.
The couple are now considering legal action against the Waco Police Department and have asked for body-cam footage of the incident to get a greater understanding of what happened, according to the newspaper.
Page described Finn as good natured, light-hearted, curious and very loyal. She also said the couple have barely slept or eaten since the incident.
The police department ended up at the wrong address after its dispatch system autocorrected an address in the 3200 block of North 20th A Street.
A woman had called 911 reporting a burglary in progress at this address. However police arrived one street over at the 3200 block of North 20th Street. The police clarified in a statement that due to the autocorrect, the "A" in "A Street" was removed.
"Our officers acted in good faith to the dispatched address. When officers arrived at the 3200 Block of N. 20th, they saw the backdoor ajar which corroborated information received in the initial call," the Waco Police Department said.
"Officers announced their presence, and shortly thereafter multiple dogs came toward officers who retreated. One dog who acted more aggressively lunged at our officer, retreated, and then lunged at the officer again.
"After the dog lunged a second time toward the officer, the officer made the decision to fire one round of his duty-issued weapon, striking the dog. Finn was taken to the emergency medical clinic by his owner."
Page said that, at the time of the police's arrival, she was asleep but went to investigate with her five dogs, including Finn, after hearing sounds of people in her backyard.
"I hear the screaming. I hear everything. I go outside and I'm screaming, 'What's happening?' And they're just standing there looking at me like, 'What?'" Page recalled as she said she was walking out the backdoor when she heard a gunshot.
She said that officers did nothing to help Finn after he was shot.
She also said that another officer used a stun gun against one of her other dogs, Hannah, which suffered a small wound as a result.
After the shooting, Vasquez raced home after receiving a call from Page. The pair then took Finn to an emergency clinic but to due to the dog's age and the severity of his injuries, he died.
A Waco police commander met the couple at the clinic, offered his sympathies and told them about services available. The police also offered to pay for Finn's veterinary bill, according to the couple.
"I told him 'Your apology is worthless and useless at this point. It means nothing,'" Vasquez said. "Money's not going to mean a thing."
Police have said they are "regretful of the outcome" and will "work diligently" to confirm addresses entered into their system in future. The Waco police also confirmed no arrests were made from the initial 911 call.
Newsweek has contacted the Waco Police Department via Facebook for further comment.
About the writer
Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more