Owner disputes police shooting his dog
Christiana Hundred shop owner Angel Garcia said his 2-year-old mixed-breed pit bull named X was just being friendly when it ambled over to sniff a police dog that was passing behind his Robinson Lane business.
But county police said the officer handling the dog believed X was about to attack, and he fatally shot the pit bull to protect his K-9.
"The pit bull goes after the K-9 dog's leg," County police spokesman Lt. Craig Weldon said. "The handler pulled on the collar to get his K-9 again, and the pit bull made aggressive moves to bite his dog's leg and is shot."
But Garcia's relatives and neighbors who witnessed the Tuesday shooting said it was unprovoked and X was not aggressive. Garcia said his brother, Miguel Garcia, was trying to get his pets - X and another mixed-breed named Eve - out of the way of officers tracking a suspect when X broke free of his leash.
"They know they're wrong," Garcia said Wednesday after police determined the shooting was justified. "I don't want to have any problems with the cops, but I don't feel it's right. I feel like I've lost a member of my family."
Weldon said officers were in the Alban Park area about 1:30 p.m., chasing someone who ran after a traffic stop. He said the K-9 officer told Miguel Garcia to leave X on the leash, but he did not comply.
"The owner's brother decided that even though the K-9 passed, it was important to take the dog off the controlled leash,'' Weldon said.
Justin Scabrera, who was outside with Miguel Garcia when officers headed through the woods, said they were trying to be helpful by bringing the dog inside the shop.
"We didn't know what was going on," Scabrera said. "As soon as Miguel got X in front of the shop, he wiggled off his leash and ran over to the officer's dog. Then they started doing the dog thing."
Scabrera and Miguel Garcia said the officer never warned that he would shoot and did not ask the men to come get the dog. They said the K-9 did not growl, bark or bare its teeth.
Lynette Davis, who works at a nearby shop and also saw the shooting, said Garcia's dog was not behaving aggressively when it was shot. Angel Garcia came out of the shop when he heard the shot.
Witnesses and police said the K-9 wriggled out of its collar and followed X as the wounded animal retreated to the shop.
"The K-9 went inside and sat down next to X, who was lying on the floor, until his handler got him," Miguel Garcia said.
The brothers put the injured dog in their van and rushed to the Veterinary Specialty Center on Newport Pike with a county police escort.
Dr. Mark Cafone said there was nothing he could do to save the dog. The bullet had entered the dog's right side and exited on the left.
"From the trajectory of the bullet, it probably went through the dog's liver," Cafone said. "It was bleeding to death internally."
Weldon said he could not comment on whether the county planned to pay the vet bill.
Angel Garcia said he buried his pet Tuesday but plans to disinter the remains so the Delaware Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals can examine it. He said he has asked the agency to investigate the incident.
"I spent more time with that dog than I did with my whole family," Garcia said. "That was like killing my son."
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