Family sues city of LA after officer kills their dog during Knicks championship celebration
A Los Angeles family filed a lawsuit against the city after an officer shot and killed their dog while they celebrated the New York Knicks' championship win.
The lawsuit seeks damages and claims that the officer was negligent, used excessive force and lacked proper training when he fired multiple shots into the family's 2-year-old dog named Jameson. Lawyers for Marie Marseille and her family wrote in the complaint that the officer, "killed Jameson in cold blood."
The Los Angeles Police Department said it does not comment on pending litigation.
The deadly shooting happened at Marseille's front door after two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a 911 call of a "screaming woman" on June 13. In a recording of the 911 call, a neighbor told the dispatcher, "there's just screaming, as something horrible happened."
Marseille's son, Jeremiah Garcia, said his mother was celebrating the team's first title in 53 years.
"It's tearing my body apart, waking up and not having him at the foot of my bed," Garcia said in June. "Everyone loved that dog."
In body camera footage released by LAPD, Jameson barks as Marseille opens her door to talk to the officers. They ask Marseille to put the dog away as she shuts the door.
"Dude, that's a big dog," the officer who eventually killed Jameson said. "I ain't getting bit by that, bro."
Shortly after the officer said that, Marseille opened her door as Jameson slipped out. He barks and starts to run toward the officer, who already has his gun drawn. The 2-year-old St. Bernard, Golden Retriever, and Doodle mix was wearing a Knicks T-shirt when the officer fired multiple shots at it.
Garcia was FaceTiming his mom when the officer shot and killed Jameson.
"Soon as my mom opened the door to greet the officer, Jamo sprints out as an opportunity just to greet someone else and then, yeah, that's what happened," Garcia said. "When I was on the phone, I heard two shots."
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell described the shooting as "an incredibly tragic incident."
"The loss of a pet is deeply personal. For many, a dog is not simply an animal; it is a companion, a source of comfort, and a member of the family," McDonnell said in a statement.
LA Mayor Karen Bass echoed McDonnell's sentiment and called for a review of LAPD's use of force policy on dogs, "to determine best practices from around the country, and use this opportunity to update the LAPD's overall tactics, policies, and training related to the use of lethal force to increase safety for everyone – officers, Angelenos and their pets."
"While the investigation is ongoing, I am very concerned about why shots were fired and Jameson was killed," Bass said. "This shooting makes clear that while LAPD provides officers with written guidance on the use of force and pets, this is not enough."
