LORAIN, Ohio — **WARNING: This story contains graphic and disturbing video content showing the death of an animal, plus explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Lorain Police Department on Wednesday released body camera footage showing one of its officers fatally shooting a dog this past weekend.
The encounter first made headlines after neighbors posted their own footage of the incident on social media, which showed the Labrador retriever lying down hurt after being shot. The dog later died from its injuries, and in an interview with 3News, the pet's owners claimed the officer was reckless in his use of force.
"After she was shot one time in the street, he should have just let it go and let us get the dog and take her where she needed to be treated," Tammie Kerns said. "But he didn't do that. She was crawling — useless, helpless — in the street. He continued shooting her. She was trying to come to safety, and he just kept shooting her three more times after the first time."
According to Kerns, she and her daughter were attempting to corral four of their dogs after they got loose from their Oberlin Avenue home Sunday afternoon when the officer came up and demanded they get the dogs under control. One Lab named Dixie ran out towards the street when the officer shot her.
The bodycam footage shows several dogs meandering about when Dixie suddenly gallops away from the owner and towards the officer while appearing to be wagging its tail. He then fires his weapon at the dog multiple times, with the pup eventually collapsing in the street and struggling to get up over the next few minutes.
**WARNING: The below video contains disturbing content and strong, uncensored language. No audio of the actual shots being fired is available. Viewer discretion is advised.
The faces of the humans in the video are blurred, but once the audio comes on, a woman appearing to be Tammie Kerns can be seen screaming at the officer as he tells her to get back. A number of neighbors then join the commotion to express their anger with the officer's actions, with at least two checking on Dixie's injuries. Roughly four minutes after shooting the animal and with other authorities in the area, the officer drives away from the scene.
"He should lose his job," Kerns said of the officer earlier this week. "He should go to jail. He should rot. I don't want him to shoot somebody else. He needs to be off the streets. There were innocent bystanders nearby."
When initially reached by 3News for comment, Lorain police said the officer involved had not been placed on leave. On Wednesday, Acting Chief Michael Failing released a statement saying the department would "conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the use of force."
"We know the public wants to know more about what happened, which is why we're moving quickly to gather the facts," Failing wrote. "We will provide that information as soon as we know more."
The Kernses have threatened to sue the Lorain Police Department in the wake of Dixie's death. You can watch our earlier interview with the family below:
