THIBODAUX, La. — Cell phone video captured a Thibodaux police officer shooting a dog that had gotten loose. Thibodaux police say the dog had bitten the officer.
The video was caught by a passing driver, you see a man trying to corral his dog as the animal runs around. You see the Thibodaux officer standing there, then he points and shoots the dog.
A witness who asked WWL Louisiana not to use her name, says just prior to the shooting she pulled over to help the owner catch their dog.
"The dog was just running around, having a good old time, it was sniffing bushes and poles," she said.
She went on to say, "I got really close to the dog, he wasn't aggressive at all, he was just running, like he was playing tag."
WWL Louisiana reporter Eleanor Tabone asked the witness, "How close did you get to the dog?" To which the witness responded, "I'd say two to three feet and I went to grab for him, nothing happened, he just darted to the side so I missed him."
According to the Thibodaux Police Department, it happened just after 10:30 Christmas morning. TPD says the dog came from a nearby neighborhood, and while the owner was trying to carol the dog it attacked the officer, biting him on the backside of his body. The department went on to say it then started running wild toward other people and appeared to charge at another bystander. They say the officer was forced to shoot the dog, and the dog died from the wound.
The witness described the dog saying, "His tail wasn't between his legs, his hair wasn't up, he was just a normal dog, walking around."
WWL Louisiana reached out to the Thibodaux Police Department and even came to headquarters in person, we were told there is no further information and they will not be commenting. We also asked for any pictures of the alleged bite wounds, we were told that is all part of the investigation and will not be released.