ELYRIA, Ohio — An investigation is underway after an Elyria police officer fatally shot a dog while serving an arrest warrant.
Elyria police officials say the incident happened on Friday, Jan. 5 at around 10:50 p.m. while they were arresting 21-year-old Donte Colbert in the 1100 block of Melvyn Lane.
Police say that Colbert had an outstanding arrest warrant issued for two counts of felonious assault in connection with a shooting that happened in Elyria in 2023.
After arresting Colbert, a neighboring resident allegedly opened their front door, allowing their Pitbull to leave the home.
3News' Lydia Esparra spoke with the dog's owner, Stephanie Pannel who said "Coco" was a loving animal who didn't deserve to be killed.
"When we came outside [to see what was happening] our door was cracked. The dog must have noticed we weren't in the house and with its nose opened the door and came out. The dog is playful. As soon as it sees people its going to go up to you like any normal dog."
Pannel says that Coco was a friendly dog and anyone in the neighborhood would say the same. Officers maintain that the dog was aggressive and they did what they had to do to keep other officers and residents safe.
"The unleashed pitbull aggressively charged at an officer on the scene, prompting the officer to draw and discharge their service weapon to protect himself, other officers and civilians in the area from the aggressive animal. The officer neutralized the threat, and unfortunately, the animal was fatally wounded. No other injuries were reported," said Elyria police lieutenant Bill Lantz.
Colbert currently is being held at the Lorain County Jail without jail pending his initial court appearance.
At this time, the shooting remains under investigation. Police say they will release additional details to the public throughout the investigation.