A police officer in Massachusetts shot dead a pit bull mix after it attacked him.
The Wayland Police Department is investigating the incident, local news station WCVB reported. The officer, who suffered several bite injuries, responded to the residence on Concord Road after a child mistakenly made a 911 call on 3 October.
The homeowner told the outlet that he had opened the door after the officer knocked, and the dog, a 1-year-old pit bull-Labrador retriever mix, chased him outside.
“The cop was running all over the yard, so he jumped up and grabbed him by the arm, and let go,” the man, who chose to remain anonymous, told WCVB. “I was coming out the door and the next thing you know, I heard ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’”
The dog weighed 61 pounds and died after being shot. An ambulance responded to the scene to treat the officer’s injuries.
The department told WCVB in a statement that the incident had been unfortunate and was now under investigation.
“The safety of our officers and community members is of the utmost importance, and anytime an officer has to use force, we take it very seriously,” acting Wayland police Chief Ed Burman said.
“We will investigate this incident to ensure we have the fullest possible understanding of what occurred.”
A woman who had previously owned the dog, named Blaze, also told the station that it had bit people in two other separate instances. Blaze’s vet had reportedly said it had anxiety and had been working with its owners to treat it.
