Chicago police on Friday night launched an investigation into what led an off-duty officer to shoot and kill his neighbor's dog.
The officer, an eight-year veteran of the force, said he was out with his young son on the 5800 block of North Oketo Avenue, on the city's far northwest side, when Maximus, a four-month-old pit bull, charged at them.
The dog's owner, Samantha Maglaya, said that wasn't the case.
"He would sit in the yard and listen to the birds. He didn't even bark. He never growled," she said. "He was the biggest baby."
Maglaya rushed Maximus to an animal hospital after the Friday afternoon shooting but the animal couldn't be saved.
"We just drove as fast as possible. I was hoping I could get him there to save him but he died in the car," she said through tears, describing how her pet had been wounded eight times.
Outside the family home, Maglaya's young daughter wore Maximus' collar.
The off-duty officer said he was walking from a house just down the block when the incident unfolded.
"It's supposed to be on a leash. If that dog is on a leash this never happens," the officer said. "[My son] wanted to ride his bike. So he's riding down the sidewalk. As I'm walking down the street the dog comes out of the gangway charging at him."
But neighbors said the boy was nearly a block away during the shooting. And they say Maximus never even barked.
A police sergeant interviewed the officer, who said he's on vacation. The sergeant also met with the family who owned the dog. They say the sergeant issued them two citations after the shooting.
The case was turned over to the Independent Police Review Authority.
Source According to information posted by the Maglaya family on Mrs. Maglaya's facebook account, the officer had previously threatened to kill their puppy on multiple occasions. (ETA: Further information from the family on the wife's facebook notes the officer had also previously referred to them as
"Section 8 Scum" and was hostile as a result of them being the only Hispanic family on the street.) They further report they are hiring a lawyer and obtaining sworn statements from neighbors. They further note in the video that their 5-year old daughter was with Maximus and had to watch the asshole unload 8 - 9 rounds into her puppy.
This is not the first time a Chicago officer has shot someone's puppy. On December 1st, an officer writing a parking ticket shot a 7-month old Miniature Bull Terrier
puppy named Colonel. Colonel was lucky and managed to survive his horrific injuries, and the family went on to sue the city.
Colorado recently passed a measure requiring officers to receive training on how to handle encounters with dogs without resorting to lethal force, after several high-profile incidents of pets being killed by police.
ETA: Another
article covering the story. Beware, man suspected to be the officer harassing the owner in comments. It is also being reported that the CPD is harassing the family and that the officer involved in the shooting has threatened neighbors with a gun over the incident.
From the Facebook page
Justice for Maximus Samantha Maglaya
Can someone plz tell me why the CPD just knocked on my door at 11:30 at night without so much as even a call saying that they needed to interview me. There was 6 officers and 2 squad cars. They asked who's dog it was, if we have the documents for his shots, who lives in my house, my info, who we got the dog from, & who I spoke with when I filed my complaint.
Son of ETA: The Maglaya family has uploaded video of a police SUV cruising very slowly past their house before picking up speed and driving away, and noted they have seen multiple police vehicles do the same thing all day long.