The two officers arrived at the home at 4:30 p.m. They had an appointment to discuss their teenage son, who had run away from home over the weekend. They wanted a photograph. The police said that the officers shook the gate and looked to see if there was a dog in the yard before they entered. However, the video camera shows the officers parking their car and then entering the yard without checking for dogs despite two “beware of dog” signs. One sign was mounted on the gate through which they entered.
They shot the dog which ran to the backyard.
Four children were in the home when the officers shot their dog. Moreover, when they fired the shots there was a children’s pool party taking place in a front yard across the street.
El Monte police Capt. Dan Buehler continues to insist that the officer followed procedures: “They did go up to the front (gate),” the captain said. “There was a beware of dog sign of the gate. They did what we always do as police officers. They shook the gate. They didn’t see any dogs.” The video contradicts that account. Moreover, the family says that the officers denied seeing the “beware of dog” signs.
She also said that when she said her dog needed medical attention, an officer responded that the dog was okay and demanded to see license documents not only for the wounded dog, but for the family’s other dogs. The family said that the officers delayed them for an hour before the dog could be treated.
The family also says that police told them that they would cover the medical costs for the dog but then changed their minds when told that the dog required a $7,000 operation. Luu says a supervisor insisted that the cost exceeded the value of the dog — a harsh accounting that does not consider the fault of the officers and the value of the dog as a family member.
Unable to pay for the operation, the family put Kiki down.
Source: SGV Tribune