St. Louis Officer Shoots Partner While Aiming At Dog

A St. Louis police officer accidentally shot his partner while aiming at a dog.

The shooting occurred around 11:20 am in the 3700 block of Keokuk Street, in the Dutchtown South neighborhood. The two officers were responding to a call about copper thefts in the neighborhood, and were approached by an “aggressive-looking” dog. One of the officers shot at the dog three or four times, but one of the bullets missed the animal and ricocheted off of the sidewalk, hitting his partner in the arm near his elbow.

The wounded police officer was taken to Saint Louis University Hospital for treatment. He is expected to be okay.

The dog ran away, and police were unsure whether if it was wounded in the shooting.

A similar incident occurred in Memphis last November, when a police officer accidentally shot his partner while trying to shoot a pit bull. Fortunately, Officer Willie Bryant — who was serving a warrant at the time he was shot — was wearing a bulletproof vest. The officer who shot Bryant was relieved of duty pending an investigation.

Earlier this month, a police officer shot a pit bull inside a Petco store in Austin after it attacked another dog. The pit bull had gotten away from its owner and attacked a Maltese.

“When she [the officer] got to the back of the store, the pit bull actually had the Maltese in its mouth and shaking it,” Assistant Chief Stephen Deaton said. Customers were unable to separate the dogs, and Officer Leslie Lyons had no choice but to shoot the dog, asking people to move away before she pulled out her gun. The pit bull was killed and the Maltese was taken to the vet to be treated for its injuries.

In June, a Leander, Texas, police officer was serving a warrant at the wrong house when he shot a 3-year-old German shepherd, which was a therapy dog. Officer Woodson Blase said the dog began to charge at him, prompting him to discharge his weapon, but the dog’s owner said she didn’t believe Blase’s story.

“This dog wasn’t after him [Blase],” said Renata Simmons. “This dog was just running up going, ‘Hey what are you doing?’ and they have a right to do that. This is my yard; this man should not have even been there.”

Do you think police officers need to be better trained to deal with aggressive dogs?

[Photo credit: stlphotoblogger / Flickr]