By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-31 16:51:52 | Updated at 2025-01-31 20:18:43
3 hours ago
Disturbing body camera footage revealed the shocking moment a Florida police officer shot a dog dead after the pup lunged at another officer who kicked the animal while responding to a bite complaint.
The incident occurred at Miami's Sewell Park last April, and the footage was recently released following an internal investigation.
The incident unfolded as Nicole Iyescas and her daughter, Esmeralda, were taking their one-year-old dog, Miso, for a walk when a man approached the bench they were sitting on.
The French bulldog-Malinois mix was startled and began to bark, and Nicole lost her grip on its leash. Miso then ran up to the man and bit his arm.
The man called animal control and Miami police officers soon arrived at the scene. Nicole and Esmeralda told local NBC affiliate WTVJ News that the cops ordered them to sit on the bench.
'The police officer wasn't giving my mom the chance to speak or even to listen or give her own statement,' Esmeralda said.
The bodycam footage shows Nicole speaking with one cop as another asked the man who reported the incident what happened.
Miso then started to jump at the officer, who responded by kicking the dog, causing Nicole to lose her grip on the leash.
The officer fell to the ground after the dog chased him, prompting a second officer to pull out his gun
Miso was a French bulldog-Malinois mix and was out for a walk in the park before he was shot dead
Miso lay on the ground after being shot by the officer
'He kicked the dog so hard that I lost my balance and at this time I lost the leash,' she told WTVJ.
The dog appeared to run at the officer who, began backpedaling and ultimately fell to the ground.
That's when the other office took out his gun and fired at the dog, killing it.
Screams could be heard in the background as Nicole, her daughter, and several onlookers watched the horrific scene.
Nicole is still traumatized by the events that led to her dog's death.
'This did not have to happen,' Nicole told WTVJ, adding that she didn't believe Miso was a danger to the cops.
'They made my life very difficult that day,' she said.
Witnesses previously told WTVJ that the incident didn't seem to require that aggressive of a response.
One witness described the situation as 'very calm' and 'under control' before police arrived.
Nicole Iyescas (left) and her daughter, Esmeralda, recalled the shocking day that they saw their dog shot dead in the park
One witness described the situation as 'very calm' and 'under control' before police arrived
The man bitten by Miso called animal control and Miami police officers soon arrived at the scene
Another witness said that he saw Miso suffering and suggested to police that someone should call a professional to either help the dog or euthanize him.
'They left him suffering,' Nicole said. 'He was breathing, bleeding.'
Miami Police Department spokesman Officer Michael Vega told DailyMail.com that the officers involved in the incident acted in accordance with departmental guidelines. An internal investigation was conducted and the case is now closed.
The department frequently responds to cases involving loose or stray dogs and the investigation determined that the officers were justified, Vega said.
Police officers are generally subject broad guidelines on how to respond to domestic animals that pose an imminent threat to others.
A review of public records by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals determined that over 50% of officer-involved shooting incidents involve a dog.
'Police rarely receive any training that would allow them to rapidly and realistically assess the degree of danger posed by a dog; nor are they routinely informed about or trained to use any of the wide variety of non-lethal tools and techniques available to them as alternatives to shooting,' according to the ASPCA.
The ASPCA advocates that officers exhaust all other possible avenues before fatally shooting a dog.
