A Massachusetts police officer shot and killed a family’s dog, which attacked it while responding to an accidental 911 call made by a child at the residence, police said.
The officer attended the Concord Road home in Wayland at around 11.20am on Monday to investigate the hung up emergency call, Acting Chief Constable Ed Burman told WCVB.
As he spoke to the owner, the dog ran out of the house and attacked the officer, biting him repeatedly, Burman said, adding that the animal continued to pursue the officer as he tried to get into his car.
The officer then shot the dog and killed it.
The family told WCVB that their pet is a one-year-old pit bull and Labrador retriever mix named Blaze, who weighs 61 pounds.
“The cop was running all over the yard, so he jumped up and grabbed him by the arm and let him go,” a man who owned the dog told the station. “I was walking out the door and the next thing you know, I heard ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!'”
An ambulance transported the policeman to the hospital.
“This is a very difficult and unfortunate situation,” the chief said in a statement.
“The safety of our officers and community members is of the utmost importance, and any time an officer needs to use force, we take it very seriously. We will investigate this incident to ensure we have the best possible understanding of what happened,” he added.
According to a preliminary investigation, Burman added, the dog previously had complaints of aggressive behavior.
A female owner of Blaze acknowledged that the dog had already bitten two people and said the family was working with a veterinarian about his aggressive behavior.
“The vet was working very closely with us and she said he probably had anxiety,” she told WCVB. “He’s always been really, really good with my kids and grandkids.
“She was really hoping these things would work out and we were taking action,” the woman added.