Dog euthanized after charging officer
Morgan Hill – A pit bull was shot after charging a Morgan Hill police officer at home on Lone Hill Road Tuesday.
Though the bullet didn’t immediately kill the dog, the pit bull was euthanized later that same day.
According to MHPD Cmdr. Joe Sampson, Officer Mike Neilson responded to a call at 8:45am from Mike Bordello at 16700 Spring Hill Road.
Bordello said a neighbor’s pit bull had escaped its fence and charged at him.
When Neilson arrived at Bordello’s home, Bordello showed him the wooden fence separating his yard from Denise Briere’s residence on Lone Hill Drive.
The pit bull and a rottweiler were in Bordello’s yard at the time, Sampson said, and the officer attempted to get them into their own yard by yelling commands at them.
The rottweiler immediately returned to its own yard, Sampson said, but the pit bull began to “track” Neilson, growling aggressively before returning through the fence to its yard.
After the dogs returned to their own yard, Neilson approached the fence to examine how the dogs had escaped. As Neilson approached, the pit bull became aggressive again and charged through the fence towards him while he was backing away.
As the dog ran toward him, Neilson fired his gun and hit the dog near its mouth, Sampson said.
The pit bull returned to its yard, and Neilson called animal control. When animal control officers arrived, Sampson said, they recognized the dog from a prior incident.
They tranquilized the dog and took it to the San Martin Veterinary Hospital. Briere was notified, and the dog was later put to sleep, Sampson said.
No one was injured in the incident, and the dog’s owner was cited for allowing a dog to roam loose.
Though the department typically places officers on administrative leave while they investigate why a weapon was fired, Sampson said the policy doesn’t apply to animal shootings.
