MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — A Maple Heights police officer is now cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting of a 1-year-old Pitbull named Chino last month after the officer feared the dog was going to attack him during an aggressive dog call.
RELATED: Maple Heights police officer shoots 1-year-old dog
Chino went home earlier this week following several surgeries following the shooting.
Maple Heights Police Chief Todd Hansen said his officer followed protocol and Department policy when he shot the pit bull and called it an "unfortunate circumstance.
“We don't like shooting dogs. We don't like having to use force on animals or people if we don't have to," said Hansen. "In this particular case, it became unavoidable, and force was used.”
In the three-minute body camera video of the incident released by Maple Heights police last week to News 5, the officer can be seen walking to Marquita Watford's home and knocking on the door.
“The neighbor talked to him, got evidence that the dog had been out of his yard and was in the neighbor's yard causing a problem and being aggressive,” said Hansen. “There were two adults in that house. No one came to the door for well over two minutes.”
Watford told News 5 that she and her boyfriend were upstairs getting dressed and in the shower and didn't hear the officer knocking.
Watford said she forgot to tell her boyfriend to close the door after hearing the dog come inside after going to the bathroom.
The officer can be seen on the video walking to the side of the home, and down the driveway to the back. The officer then pauses for a few seconds.
Hansen told me his officer looked around to make sure the dog was not in the backyard still running around.
“And while he's standing there surveying what's going on, the dog comes out the open back door of the house.”
Hanson said the officer was stuck between two cars on an icy surface and froze to let the dog calm down.
"So he just kind of tried to stop, put the dog at ease and then the dog starts to do one of these posturing moves," said Hansen.
The officer draws his weapon and calls out to the homeowner to get the dog. "Unfortunately, that's when the dog rushes down the stairs, and the action takes place," said Hansen.
Watford told News 5 that when she began to head downstairs, she heard the gunshots, and then Chino ran inside.
"I hear him run in, and I go to the door and I’m just like, 'You just shot my dog?' and he’s like, 'What?' standing back about six feet from my stairs," said Watford.
The actual shooting of the dog is not visible on the body-camera video. It appears to be covered by the officer, during that moment.
Hansen said the officer was not trying to cover anything up.
"The body cameras in the center, which is where we generally like it to be," said Hansen, adding that it usually captures the best picture for most circumstances that officers find themselves in.
"So he immediately reached over to key his mic up with his hand while his gun was out," said Hansen. "And you know, when you watch the video, if you look at it, it's not his hand covering it, you can see that it's his wrist. His hand goes past it."
Hansen said audio from the dispatch center and the BWC video lined up, proving the officer did a call out over the radio stating that shots were fired, which is department policy when an officer determines that the use of deadly force is imminent or necessary.
Chino's owner was cited by police. Watford did not return News 5's calls Saturday seeking comment, but last week, the family told us Chino was not an aggressive dog.
Maple Heights officers currently do not have nonlethal weapons, but they will soon be getting tasers, according to the Chief. Hansen told News 5 that Tasers were in the works before this incident.
