The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released body camera video Friday of one of its officers shooting a Westside family's pit bull.
JSO released the video on its Facebook page Friday saying the officer feared for his safety.
"During the officer’s investigation, he came into contact with and was chased by a dog on the premises," JSO's Facebook post states. "The officer was forced to draw his issued firearm and subsequently shot the dog, being in fear for his safety ... The body worn camera footage confirms the officer’s account of the incident and provides viewers a clear understanding of the events as they unfolded."
A police report from The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says Officer Victor Jones was responding to an alarm going off at the house Wednesday afternoon. The officer said that he went around the back to check for any signs of forced entry when the dog in the backyard approached him in an aggressive manner. He shot him in the head in response.
Matthew Long said his 11-year-old dog, Prophet, wasn’t aggressive.
Long posted about the matter on Facebook which was shared nearly 30,000 times.
Long has hired an attorney from Louisiana, who is partnering with a Jacksonville firm to help him with his case.
Long's lawyer, Tarak Anada, said he thinks Prophet did what dogs do when they're startled. "Did I see a situation where this officer was in danger of losing his life or grievous bodily harm, such that, the use of lethal force was justified? Absolutely not."
Anada also says he didn't have to use lethal force, but that he could have used a Taser or pepper spray. "This was a preventable tragedy. The shooting was a result of poor planning, poor preparation, poor training, and just a lack of experience of dealing with a family's dog."
Anada said they'll be looking into Officer Jones' past disciplinary action and officer training methods at JSO.
