Officer Michael Cruse of the Topeka Police Department shot and killed 72-year-old Harriette Macnish’s family dog, Josie. Cruse was responding to a false burglary alarm at Macnish’s home on July 13. Instead of knocking on the door to determine whether there was an issue, Cruse went into the backyard and encountered a dog protecting its territory from an unknown visitor.
Josie weighed a mere 26 pounds, but Cruse saw the small dog as a big enough threat to shoot her twice with his Glock 9mm. “I attempted to place time and distance between the dog and myself by running backwards,” said Cruse. “The dog continued to aggressively run toward me to attack.”
In the video, Cruse appeared to have made minimal effort to outrun the small animal.
Watch.
