City officer under attack shoots aggressive dog

[November 05, 2011]  On Tuesday at 8:49 a.m., Lincoln police received a 911 call regarding two aggressive pit bull terriers running at large in the area of the 400 block of Eighth Street. According to the call, one of the dogs nipped at a male as he was trying to get into his vehicle.

A second call was received shortly after, stating that the two aggressive dogs attempted to attack a female and her husband on their property on Eighth Street. The husband drew the dogs away so his wife could get into their house. He, too, was being attacked and was bitten on the hand. The man used his military survival knife to defend himself and stabbed the more aggressive dog in the face. 

Lincoln police officers arrived on the scene, observed the two dogs and were immediately confronted by them. One of the dogs was more aggressive than the other. The dogs charged at the officers, who drew their service weapons and began shouting at the dogs to stop. The dogs did stop short of the officers at that time. The dogs then turned and went in the other direction.  

One officer returned to his squad car to get a shotgun as the other officer watched for the dogs to return. The officer had just obtained the shotgun when he was confronted by the aggressive pit bull as it charged him. The dog came out into the street and was in a full sprint toward the officer, who was still next to his patrol vehicle. The officer was forced to shoot one round from the shotgun, stopping the dog. The dog was approximately three feet from the officer when it was shot.

The other dog fled after the shot was fired and ran back to its owner's residence nearby. The owner of the pit bulls came outside and immediately took control of the second dog. The owner of the animals was unaware that they had escaped from their fenced-in backyard.

Neither of the dogs had proper vaccinations, and the remaining dog was taken to Logan County Animal Control.

A report has been sent to the city attorney for review.

"It is unfortunate that the officer was forced to take the life of this dog," said Michael Geriets, deputy police chief. "The safety of the public and the safety of our officers is our first priority."

The police department has had an increased number of calls regarding aggressive dogs running at large. Currently, Logan County Animal Control is housing seven pit bull terriers for running at large.

[Text from file received from the Lincoln Police Department]