City of Davenport Responds To Officer Involved Dog Shooting
The City of Davenport has released a statement in regard to an incident where a dog was shot and killed by a Davenport police officer on August 21, 2024.
In the city's statement, officials express their condolences to the family involved in the events that led up to the dog being killed. The dog's name was Myst.
"The incident is upsetting to us, particularly because children were present. Right away, the Davenport Police Department assured the City it would review the incident and ensure the department's standards were met," the release says. "That review is now complete. While we acknowledge the desire for a more urgent response, taking time for due diligence was of the utmost importance."
Officials from the city say they, "recognize that police officers are in unpredictable situations where they are entrusted with the authority to make decisions in a matter of seconds. In this case, the Davenport Police officer expressed his sincere fear that he would be seriously injured, and we believe the officer's body worn camera supports his statements."
This Davenport Police officer's body worn camera footage was released which can be seen below. WARNING: SOME VIEWERS MAY FIND THIS DISTURBING AND GRAPHIC
The City of Davenport also recognized a media report about the same officer who was involved in the August 21st incident was the same officer involved in an incident on July 13th, 2024.
"Recognizing we can't provide solace for the loss of a pet, the City and police worked together with the dog owner on a financial resolution," the release continued. "But to be clear - these incidents, while both tragic, are unrelated, and any attempt to mischaracterize them as malicious actions is inaccurate. The violent threats and harassment on social media targeting the officer and his family are wrong and terribly inappropriate."
Below is the footage of the incident from July 13th posted on YouTube by the Quad-City Times who wrote the article the City is referring to. WARNING: SOME VIEWERS MAY FIND THIS DISTURBING AND GRAPHIC
The woman's dog that was killed on July 13th was compensated $1,700 by the police department, according to the Quad-City Times.
The release finished by saying, "The City of Davenport expresses sympathy to the dog owners in both instances and remains committed to leading with transparency in all matters of public interest."
The August 21st incident was captured on the camera of the home of Don Hesseltine, the owner of Myst. Hesseltine's original video went viral on social media and can be seen below.
WARNING: SOME VIEWERS MAY FIND THIS DISTURBING AND GRAPHIC
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