CLEVELAND (AP) – A Cleveland, Mississippi, police officer is on administrative leave while authorities investigate the fatal shooting of a family dog.
Police Chief Buster Bingham has not released the officer’s name.
Tyler Muzzi says the officer shot his 1-year-old yellow Labrador, Miller, while the dog was tied to a leash. It happened June 12 as officers investigated a call about a suspicious person next door.
Muzzi told The Bolivar Commercial the dog was friendly and never aggressive toward strangers. Muzzi says police told him the officer felt threatened and that prompted the shooting.
Muzzi says a police video of the incident does not show the shooting.
Muzzi says the department has offered to pay the vet bill and buy his family another dog. He wants a change in police response policies.