CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati police officer was just 12 inches away when he shot and killed a dog to stop it from attacking another dog March 5 at the Bockfest 5K, according to a CPD internal investigation report released on Wednesday.
The CPD internal investigation also found the officer violated policy because he had turned off his body camera. Since his body camera was off, there was no police video recording of the shooting. The officer received counseling on body camera use and policy, according to the report.
CPD previously announced that the shooting complied with department policy and state law.
The officer fired his first shot into the upper body of an unleashed pit bull that had grabbed the throat of a leashed Weimaraner, according to the report.
The report said the first shot "seemed to have little to no effect." So the officer working an off-duty detail fired a second shot causing the pit bull to let go. The dog retreated to the street, laid down and died later at an animal hospital.
One of the officer's rounds also hit the Weimaraner, blinding him in one eye. But that dog's owner told WCPO 9 that he believed the officer's actions saved his dog's life.
RELATED | Owner: Dog recovering, blind in one eye after Bockfest shooting
The internal investigation reviewed other police body camera videos, photos and reports.
CPD also reviewed other incidents involving the officer and determined "there are no patterns of behavior noted which require intervention at this time."
