"As the dog was advancing towards Officer Cooney, snarling and baring its teeth, Officer Cooney found himself backed into a situation where he could retreat no further, and he had no choice but to shoot the dog as it began to lunge at him." - Salem Police Lt. Dave Okada
(SALEM, Ore.) - A report of two vicious dogs running loose sent police officers to 1178 7th St NW today at about 12:15 PM. Salem Police Lt. Dave Okada reports that at least one of the dogs had already bitten a person and they were continuing to act aggressively.
"As the victim was on the phone with the police, the dogs were continuing to run about the area and were acting aggressively towards other people as well."
He says Officer Vance Cooney arrived in the area and located the dogs behind an apartment building at 1178 7th St NW.
"The dogs were outside of Officer Cooney's vehicle and were barking at him as he awaited the arrival of other officers with canine containment equipment," Okada said.
"Before other officers could arrive on the scene, Officer Cooney noticed a young girl walking down an alley directly towards where the dogs were still barking and trying to get at him."
Okada says the dogs appeared to notice the young girl, and began to run in her direction as they continued to bark viciously. "Officer Cooney, fearing the dogs were going to attack the young girl, got out of his vehicle and yelled at the girl to warn her about the dogs as well as to divert the attention of the dogs back to him."
"When he yelled, the larger and clearly more aggressive of the two dogs, turned towards him and began to charge at him. As the dog was advancing towards Officer Cooney, snarling and baring its teeth, Officer Cooney found himself backed into a situation where he could retreat no further, and he had no choice but to shoot the dog as it began to lunge at him."
Okada says officer Cooney struck the dog with one shot from his handgun at a distance of less than two feet. The dog stopped its advance at that time and the other dog ran off. The dog that was shot was transported to the Humane Society where it was later euthanized.
The dog that ran off is described as a smaller white dog, possibly a pit bull mix, police said. It had a small chain dangling from its neck area as if it had broken free from being tied up. Officer Cooney reportedly described this dog as clearly the "less aggressive of the two" and appeared to be following along with the other dog during the incident.
At this time the owners of the dogs are unknown. Okada says the initial dog bite victim suffered minor injuries. The Salem Police Department requests assistance from the public in locating the dog that ran off as well as the owner or owners of the dogs. Anybody with information is asked to call the Salem Police Department at 503-588-6123.
Police Officer Shoots Attacking Dog in SalemSalem-News.com