Saturday, July 30, 2011

Officer fatally shoots aggressive pit bull

ELYRIA, OH — An Elyria police officer shot and killed a pit bull Friday after it bit a person, according to a police report.

A woman reported that her daughter had been bitten by a pit bull at the 100 block of Tedman Court about 7:20 a.m.

According to the report, the victim was taking out her trash when the dog walked up to her. When she tried to pet it, the dog bit her forearm.

Officer Michael Darmstadt responded to the call. When he approached the dog, it seemed friendly, but when he let it sniff his hand, the dog tried to bite him, the report said. It then backed off.

Darmstadt was about 20 feet from the dog when it got up and tracked him. He wrote in his report that it was obvious the dog was not going to stop, so he shot it for officer and public safety.

 Last week in Lorain, another police officer also shot and killed a pit bull after it bit him in the leg.

(Chronicle-Telegram - July 30, 2011)