Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) – For the second time in ten days, Sioux Falls Police fires shots at an attacking dog.
Officers had been dispatched to the intersection W. 6th St and N. West Avenue just before 9:00 Saturday night for a small child that had been found in the area. As they were trying to determine where the child belonged, some persons passing by directed the officers attention to a frontage road adjacent to Burnside Park which is near 6th and West. The passerby’s had observed a male on the ground being attacked by a large pit bull. Two SFPD officers ran across West Ave. to help the male as a third officer took the found child into a patrol car for safety.
As the officers crossed West Ave the pit bull stopped attacking the male and ran at the officers giving the officers indicators that the pit bull was about to attack the officers. The first responding officer fired one round from his service weapon, striking the pit bull, in an effort to defend himself from the pit bull. The pit bull continued to advance towards the officers and it was shot again by the second responding officer. The pit bull then lay down in the middle of West Ave after being shot a second time. The pit bull was transported by Sioux Falls Animal Control officers to an emergency vet for medical treatment.
Investigating officers learned that the victim had been in some type of altercation with another male while seated in the passenger seat of a White Crown Victoria at Burnside Park. He said he was robbed of some of his personal possessions. As he exited the car he fell down and was attacked by the pit bull that had exited the car behind him. It was learned that the pit bull was the victim’s own dog. The male said that he had been attacked by 2 to 5 persons to include the driver of the Crown Victoria. The passerby’s only saw an altercation between the driver of the Crown Victoria and the victim who had been seated in the passenger seat. The victim suffered from a bite to his left thumb, a swollen left cheek, a swollen left eye, and abrasions to his left elbow. He declined medical treatment that was offered to him at the scene. The driver of the Crown Victoria is an acquaintance of the victim but the victim could not provide reliable information to identify who the driver is. He is described the driver as a black male known to the victim only as “Memphis”