Woman killed by apparent stray bullet as Texas officer fires at dog

[August 02, 2019]    By Alex Dobuzinskis

(Reuters) - A woman in Arlington, Texas, was killed on Thursday after apparently being hit by a stray bullet when a police officer opened fire on a dog running at him, officials said.

The officer and other emergency personnel had been sent to investigate a report that a woman had passed out in a grassy area, Arlington police said in a statement.

The officer found the woman lying on the grass with a dog nearby. When he called out to her to check on her condition, the dog began running toward him and barking, police said in the statement.

The officer pulled out his firearm and shot at the dog and the woman yelled out. Paramedics then transported her to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

"Preliminary information leads investigators to believe the woman was struck by gunfire from the officer," the police statement said.

The shooting in the city of about 400,000 people was captured on the officer's body camera, and that footage will be part of the investigation.

A representative for the city could not be reached for comment late on Thursday.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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