Police in California fatally shot a family’s pet dog in the Canoga Park neighborhood early Sunday morning, minutes after the New York Knicks won their first NBA title in 53 years on Saturday night.
The dog, a two-year-old doodle named Jameson, was wearing a blue and orange Knicks jersey at the time of the shooting, according to the dog’s owner, Jeremiah Garcia. Video of the aftermath — showing a woman lying with the animal’s lifeless body near the front door of the apartment, clutching the dog and sobbing as about a dozen uniformed officers stood nearby — received millions of views on TikTok, the Guardian reported Tuesday.
In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department said its officers were directed to the apartment by a person who called to report screaming. When the woman opened the door, officers were “confronted by a large, barking dog,” the statement said.
“The officers asked her to secure the dog, and the resident closed her door momentarily,” the LAPD said. “She re-opened the door, and the dog exited the apartment. Once outside of the apartment, the dog charged at one of the officers, resulting in an Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS).”
Garcia, who launched a GoFundMe appeal to pay for the dog’s cremation, said the incident occurred “10 minutes after celebrating the Knicks championship win.” The fundraiser quickly surpassed $125,000.
“For anyone who’s met Jameson, you would tell you he is the sweetest boy in the world,” Garcia wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Jameson was 2 years old, and he was taken from us too soon.”
A person heard on the recording shouted at the officers: “This is fucking pathetic when there’s drug dealers, people stabbing each other outside. It’s a fucking dog.” The woman wailed: “The Knicks just won the championship. We were just so happy.”
At a press conference Tuesday at LAPD headquarters, the Los Angeles National Action Network advocacy group demanded the release of body-camera footage of the shooting.
“The tragic killing of Jameson was unnecessary and unwarranted,” Najee Ali, the group’s senior organizer, said. “We demand immediate accountability, which can only happen through the prompt release of the body-worn camera footage and the names of the officers responsible for shooting and killing Jameson. The public deserves transparency, and the family deserves answers.”
The LAPD did not immediately release the names of the officers involved or the body-camera footage. The shooting follows other recent incidents involving LAPD use of force that led to civil judgments and lawsuits against the city.