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A Saint Clair Shores, Michigan pet owner is devastated after returning home from her overnight work shift to find her dog dead at the hands of local police.
Brittany Preston described her dog, Lexie, as friendly, lovable, and playful.
Police, however, say the dog acted aggressively toward them and that firing shots was a necessity.
Preston left Lexie with her grandfather while she went to work. Preston’s grandfather, who lives with mild dementia, let the dog outside and forgot about her. Between the hours of 3:00am and 7:00am several neighbors called police to complain about excessive barking by Lexie, who was trying to get back inside the house.
When police arrived on the scene, they found Lexie, in the grandfather’s lawn, running loose. Because neighbors didn’t recognize the dog as belonging to Preston’s grandfather, they assumed she didn’t belong there.
WXYZ News reported that police surrounded Lexie while Preston’s grandfather tried to let her inside. Instead of going inside, however, they say Lexie charged them. That’s when shots were fired.
Neighbors reported that as Lexie cowered against the house, police continued firing – a total of 8 bullets struck the dog.
Now, Preston wants police to find a better way to control animals than by shooting and killing them. “You could sedate them and find out who their owners are, instead of killing them and worrying about it later,” said Preston.
Ron
says:I love all animals, and I would feel really bad if I even had to hurt or
kill any animal for any reason. There should be a better way than shooting
and killing in this way. I believe a stun gun would have been a lot better.
Steve Dann
says:This seems to be america’s answer to everything. Shoot first ask questions later. Unfortunately the same policies are beginning to be adopted by the police here in the UK. The Police aren’t normally armed here but they do have specialist armed response units who have of late become a bit trigger happy. Not a good sign I feel.
Renee
says:wonder how they’d feel if we started doing that to them every time they started “barking” at us? a gun and a badge obviously degrades the brain cells. hope they removed the idiot from the police force and away from the public!!!
pieces of shit, the US cops, just does not happen in the UK.
You are absolutely right!
Mary DiBlasi
says:This kind of thing scares me to death. I have a wonderful but reactive Korean Jindo and if police or fireman or EMT’s came into the house while he was lose he would bark at them and he has a very intimidating bark, but I don’t believe he would attack them. But he scares people when he does that and I’m sure many police officers would shoot first and ask questions later. I just hope the situation never comes up. I have a secure fence but sometimes they go into your fenced yard. Eight bullet seems a little excessive, one would have stopped the dog and not necessarily killed it.
Susan Turner
says:This is wrong on so many levels. This poor dog was terrified I’m sure when a bunch of strangers showed up and all she wanted was to get back inside. These cops should be shot for their actions. Sedate the dog, don’t kill it! Grow up cops and stop being so hard on innocent animals. These officers should be held responsible period.
Carol Kramb
says:Ok the police should have left a not on the front door that there was a complaint . If they were trying to stop the dog from barking the dog only did what he was suppose to do GUARD HIS HOUSE.. Now for the owner leaving her dog out at night or during the day when she is not home shame on her.. It is a shame that such a nice dog got killed because of owner stupidity. It is your responsibility to keep you dogs, cats, horses, what ever animal you have safe even kids and the owner did not do that…. For some reason I do not believe that the police really wanted to kill the dog.. could they have done something different yeh…
Ian C
says:The internal police investigation will reveal that Proper police procedure was followed.
K.G.
says:Ian,
You are probably correct in your statement. Sad as it is, you are probably right. I am a huge animal lover and I can’t stomach the thought of this poor animal cowering in the corner of the house while the police kept shooting. I am so glad I didn’t have to witness that. They were shooting at a medium sized dog not a grizzly bear. How many shots does it take to bring a medium sized dog down? This whole story is upsetting in so many ways. I hope that the community will stand strong and show support for this dog. Hopefully they will refuse to accept the fact that a police officer can get away with this with no punishment.
Terri Perry
says:Yeah well if that’s the case then proper police procedure is wrong and needs to be changed!!!
Janice
says:One dog, how many cops with guns, this is so absurd. What kind of cops do you have in this town. Keep your children and cats in at nights. Good thing they didn’t shoot at Grandpa. How irresponsible.
This is about the eleventy thousandth time I have heard of police shooting innocent dogs, many in front of their people. Dogs who were posing no danger to the police. It seems some police like to shoot dogs for grits and shins and target practice. It is only a part of their brutality. They do the same thing to people also. Police brutality is a big problem in America. If you are a political protestor or an animal rights activist you already know this.
Amanda Sweeden
says:Well I guess that I won’t be leaving my 9 year old black lab outside anymore. She loves to sit in the yard for hours and when she wants in she will bark twice and scratch at the door once. I immediately go to let her in. It’s sad when a dog is calling for help and it gets killed. It think those cops should get their badges and guns taken away. They don’t deserve either of those things. They were not helping or protecting anyone. They just cause harm and grief. RIP beautiful puppy, may you find peace across The Rainbow Bridge.
Darrell Monaco
says:9 shots to kill a dog. Why kill the dog to begin with? Really, the gentleman had the door open. These officers really need training in animal control & obviously firearms training. Why shoot? Get back in your vehicle(s) & wait until the dog goes in the house. Problem solved & you don’t look like killers. Win, win!
Margaret Robitaille
says:I am so sorry for your lose. RIP Lexie. They should not have shot the dog, they could have used a sedative and found out who the owner was. That is just awful,the poor dog, then they kept shooting the girl as she was pinned against the house? come on! They need to be fired! That’s not a good shooting, by a long shot!
Susan B
says:8 shots? That’s criminal. This dog was out for hours and was already upset and traumatized. She was probably scarred to death. It’s fight or flight in animals. There is no doubt in my mind she was fleeing. 8 shots for one little dog. Those cops need to be relieved of their duty.
Nwflvr
says:Lexie was probably barking because she wanted inside. She was in a strange place, frightened and unsure of what to do. I’m guessing the police had no protocol on what to do in a situation like this and started shooting. Are not police issued pepper spray? It should have been obvious to the police the dog was frightened–firing away at her was not the answer. The police should be disciplined for this behavior.
Hildy Schwarz
says:Don’t any of these cops own dogs? Some of them must have some kind of pets. Why don’t the cops try to understand the situation instead of just shooting? They wouldn’t just shoot a person even if that person had a gun. So whywould they do this to a poor ddefenseless animal. My cats and dogs are my family. My dogs park alot and may even growl. Does that mean a cop can just shoot them? I am ashamed of these cops. Is there no compassion? Maybe they can pepper spray or sedate the animal instead of going to extremes. Very sad.
Oh but they do. Police kill lots of people. They do it all the time. and they get to investigate THEMSELVES. Police brutality is a big time problem in the U.S. as in every other country. We need an INDEPENDENT investigation of police brutality instead of police investigating their own crimes. Can you imagine if bank robbers were able to investigate, stand as judge and jury, of their own crimes. Here’s an idea
Bank robber….” Did you rob this bank””
bank robber “No sir, I did not. I do not have it in me to do that”
Bank robber “Well, then, there you go. Innocent”
Thank you Ellen! I was starting to think I was alone int the wilderness! I feel exactly the same.
Terri Perry
says:Police aren’t supposed to be such chicken shi* cowards. I am of the same opinion that these cops acted like thugs. I hope they feel really good about themselves and the fact that several of them with guns ganged up on and shot a defenseless dog that was just trying to get back in the house. How is a dog who is cowering by the house acting in an aggressive manner? Also..if they are so scared then why not use pepper spray? There is no excuse for them killing this dog. I do not believe the dog charged them or acted aggressively but, even if it did, there are plenty of non-lethal options that should have been used instead of gunning the poor girl down. How can anyone have any kind of respect for cops like these?
REALLY DID THEY REALLY NEED TO SHOT THIS DOG. NO THEY DIDN’T THIS MAKES ME SICK NO WONDER PEOPLE DON’T LIKE COPS. AND I SURE HOPE THE COP THAT KILLED THIS POOR BABY SHOULD BE SHOT. OR BETTER YET GET FIRED!!!!! NO QUESTION ASKED
Delta
says:Those cowards murdered that poor scared dog.
Colleen
says:That dog looked pretty little too. The response seems inappropriate. Show some compassion. I would take a bite from a scared dog before I would see it die by my hand. I hope there will be consequences.
Funny, I was riding my bike to the store and saw a dog chasing a ball. I stopped to watch and the dog,a medium sized one, grabbed my leg and started biting (at it, not really on it) I could not kick her. Just couldn’t bring myself to hurt a dog. Her owner was a royal ass hole though. I would like to have kicked the person than the dog.
What is really sad to me is this does keep happening. Both of my brother’s are in law enforcement, one retired, and it seems to me that some the officer’s today are just “shooting first” and asking questions later. That to me is very wrong and it needs to be changed. That poor dog could have been sedated by animal control. I truly think that those officer’s that did that should be reprimanded and retrained on how to handle a dog. They see a pit bull and automatically assume that the dog is dangerous. Most pit bulls are very friendly. That dog was protecting the grandfather more than likely because the dog knows he had dementia. Dogs seem to know that stuff. How I do not know, but they do. Anyhow, this is a very sad example of poor police work and my heart goes out to the owner and the dog. RIP PUP 🙁
This tragic <3
Jason
says:You all are a bunch of liberal idiots! I guess officers should wait to get their arm bit off by a pit bull before doing anything….. People buy these dogs for a reason… Because they are dangerous… I guess if a person owns a wolf you would try and talk to it first? Maybe even bend over and pet it… Like the officer is supposed to read a dogs mind? Try working the street and dealing with dogs that people don’t take care of all of the time. Dogs are not people… They are animals….!
ES
says:To the contrary, it is you that appears to be the idiot, Jason. ‘Should the officer be able to read a dog’s mind?’ – in short, yes. Canines aren’t mindless automatons, they display clear and obvious behavioral indications of fear or aggression. Police officers should be educated in basic canine behavior, considering that they encounter dogs on the street on an every day basis. The fact that most of them aren’t is appalling to me. Most of them can’t distinguish between an aggressive dog, a fearful dog, or a curious dog.
Equally appalling to me is that fact that they, and you, seem to think that lethal force is appropriate for circumstances like this – or even for circumstances of true aggression. I have been up close and personal with hundreds of aggressive dogs in my career in veterinary medicine. I’ve only been bitten a few times, and in a minor fashion at that. Why? Because I know how to read canine behavior, I know how to handle dogs, and I know how to subdue them in a safe manner. Cops should too. Or at the very least, call animal control. Whatever happened to that? Instead they jump to lethal force, instead of calling animal control or utilizing the myriad of non-lethal weapons that ALL cops have at their disposal? You’re a moron if you think that is appropriate.
And you seem to think that someone has to be a ‘liberal’ in order to possess compassion for other living beings. People like you would disgust me if I didn’t pity you so much. And for the record, yes, dogs are animals – so are human beings, BY DEFINITION. But more than that, they are placental mammals and relatively closely related to man. As such, they experience fear, pain, sorrow, anger – same as us. But even more than that, canines understand human language, body language, and emotional response more than our closest genetic relative, the Chimpanzee. Consequently, dogs also occupy a unique place in our society. If any species on earth deserves special protection and compassion under the law, it is the domestic dog.
I do believe you just got owned. Go ahead and post another ignorant comment, and I will be more than happy to do so again.
Well said “ES”! My big question concerning the police officers who shot Lexi is “why didn’t they knock on the door & ask the homeowner (her grandfather) if the dog belonged to him? & if the officers surrounded the dog, that means she couldn’t get in the house without going past them. Lexi wasn’t charging the police officers, she was running to get in the house!” This is such a senseless tragedy, however, I don’t feel it justifies some of the comments directed to the police. Having said that, I do feel that the officers involved should be reprimanded somehow and made to pay restitution to Lexi’s owner. I also wonder about the neighbors. Certainly they knew that the grandfather has dementia, so why didn’t they act neighborly and go check on him to see if everything was ok. For all they knew, the grandfather could have fallen, or been hurt. Yes, the police shot and killed Lexi, but the neighbors share a lot of the blame! I’m glad they aren’t my neighbors!
Tell it to him, ES!!!
Norma
says:Jason I guess we know what type of person you are. Lets just kill everyone. My Dog is my child you hurt it I hurt you got it. You are a piece of work not fit to walk across the street to save, if it’s you or a dog just a dog I would save the dog.
Vicki
says:Jason,
For your information I am not a liberal idiot. Much to the contrary. I am a college educated woman, very much a consertive, I believe in the second ammendment. I do not how ever believe that every cop shooting is justified. I do not believe this shooting is justified. I have been around animals my entire life. I have never seen a situation where lethal force was needed let alone justified when dealing with a dog. If these thugs with badges would get off their self made pedestals and educate themselves this type of situation would not occur. This situation occurs all over this country on a daily basis without regard for safety. They pulled out their guns and fired on the dog while Grandpa was trying to get her in the house. How would you feel if Grandpa had been shot? What about a child leaving for school? That being said (asked), a little education and you can learn how to deal with an aggressive, or scared, or timid, dog. It’s not really rocket science. I guess what we are seeing now days is the result of no child left behind, and we can’t fail little Jimmy, it will damage his self esteem. Instead little Jimmy has grown up and been given a gun and a badge. I guess it doesn’t take a brain to be a cop anymore, in this case apparently they don’t even have to be a good shot as it took 8 and they still drug the dog away alive to die a horrible death. Finally, there are many worse things to fear than being bitten by a dog. The media in this country has everyone believing that a barking dog is akin to a homicidal maniac. Most dogs barks are far worse than their bites.
So sorry for Lexi’s family. She didn’t deserve to die like that.
Lexie was neither a pit bull or a wolf. Stop trying to blame the victim to justify your brown nosing of those murdering dog killers!
ES
says:And that’s something that I did not address in my response to Jason’s comment above, because I was bogged down with countering the more ignorant of his comments. But even if she WAS a pit bull – so what? The statistics and retrospective studies that we have on prevalence of dog bites by breed are horrendous – so horrendous, that it is the opinion of the AVMA that no meaningful conclusions can be drawn from them, and it is not the breed but the people that disproportionately own the breed which are to blame.
Here’s a good brief read for reference: avma.org/public/Pages/Why-Breed-Specific-Legislation-is-not-the-Answer.aspx
And if you disagree with the AVMA, Jason, then go to veterinary school before you voice your ignorant opinion as fact, because you aren’t exactly credible in the meantime as you don’t know what the hell you are talking about.
As for the wolf thing, since considerable mental changes have occurred in the domestic dog over the course of their evolution by selective breeding at the hands of man, it is at least superficially reasonable to presume that a wolf may be more dangerous of a pet. But, in the United States, the keeping of a pure wolf is prohibited by the US Endangered Species Act of 1973. Most people that claim that they own a wolf, or a wolf-hybrid, or a coyote or coyote-hybrid or any combination of idiotic claim you can think of do NOT. What they have is a domestic dog with physical characteristics that superficially resemble an ancient phenotype.
I really don’t know where people like Jason continue to get their uninformed opinions, but I feel like it is my moral responsible to correct their ignorance at every opportunity I get.
ES
says:And apologies for any typos. Typing on a phone with autocorrect is not ideal.
Katie
says:The thought of this man being able to call him self a police officer it’s a shame.
He’s acting like that guy obama who calls himself president, he does what
He wants in no regards to any one but him self. You would think a officer would use his tazer first to control a situation.he should be demoted n made to go the training again.just to teach him n his fellow officers think b4 shooting.
Oh my goodness how many times are the police going to do this to these animals. They do not care they just shoot..In Ohio they shot the beautiful white tigers while they were standing in their cages..not charging them they were trying to stay were they would be safe..instead of waiting to the Vet to get there like they were suppose to do they just pull out the big guns and went hunting..So killing this precious dog just means nothing to them they are not of the mind set to care any longer I really believe this and why??? Think about what all they see in a days work NO EXCUSE for what they did to this dog but they are not feeling any longer..the crime they deal with on a daily basis they just go out on a call ready for the worst not the best..They need to have stiffer penalties for this type of crime..Because this it what it is a CRIME..
Stephanie Carlisle
says:There is absolutely no excuse for Lexie to be shot once, let alone 8 times. The grandfather was trying to get her inside, the police should have let him get her. Other than that, it should not have taken 8 shots, they were being careless and cruel. I believe that the officers involved should be charged with animal cruelty and stupidity. Not all police are bad, we just need to weed out the ones who are.
mannyjen
says:Dogs, unlike snakes do not kill will one bite. What right to cop have to shoot a dog that probably wont even bite? Do they treat snakes the same way?
Here in Australia I had a red bellied black snake in my garden for 2 days. Did I call the police out to shoot it? No I left it alone and he went home which is what this dog would have done if tgey had gone away and left it alone. Police need to be trained in dog councilling and only specially trained officers should attend scenes like this. Dog lovers would never shoot a dog.
lori kunz
says:This disgusts me. The dog wanted in. The ignorant neighbors could have sent to the house and knocked on her grandfather’s door. He had mild dementia all he needed WS a reminder to let Lexi in. I find the police at fault and the neighbors to quick to assume. They will live the picture of Lexi cowering. I am angry for Lexi.
lori kunz
says:Sorry for my typos.
Brenna
says:Wow pigs killing dogs. Lame excuse cowards.
Cindy Hass
says:This is horrible!! Why do police officers do this!? Why didn’t they talk to the home owner first to find out about the dog?! They should have given him a chance! Of course a dog will look threatening to anyone it is scared of or feels threatened by! Doesn’t matter who you are! It’s all about the way you stand and approach the animal… Not only that, the animal was running freely on PRIVATE PROPERTY! How can those officers justify what they did?! I am just absolutely disgusted…
James Miller
says:The police officers that did the shooting should be fired and have CRIMINAL and CIVIL charges brought against them. Their actions are clearly reckless and they are a danger to everyone as long as they have a badge to KILL. Police everywhere are out of control and power hungry, fire them all, save tax money, people are safer protecting themselves instead of having officers who PICK and CHOOSE what laws to enforce and WHO to enforce them on,WHEN they feel like it.
Anita Green
says:Surrounding an animal then shooting it 8 times. ….. The finest dog Killers , paid by our tax dollars …..DISGUSTED !!
Rick
says:Police need to hire people with at least a High School level of education. People capable of reasoning and a small idea of what compassion is, not just because this is the only job they could land and slots need to be filled.
Stella
says:The police that did this should be fired. They killed a living creature, would they have done that if it were a person? Maybe they would have tried pepper spray or a stun gun first. Stories like this are way people hate law enforcement. I am so sorry for this sweet puppy Lexie and the owner Brittney. This is just shameful!
Anita R.
says:Charges should be filed against the police, both civil and criminal. That was unlawful discharge of a weapon and if they are so irresponsible as to shoot a dog (EIGHT TIMES!) for barking, they have no business having a badge much less a gun. I hope the owner of the dog does as Lisa Payne suggested and file a report against the officers involved.
not-a-fool
says:I don’t have any respect for a bunch of chumps that surrounds a dog in it’s own yard obviously protecting a family member as she seen a few strangers most likely with guns drawn for their protection ( cough cough) approaching the home owner. These chumps are trigger happy degenerates and it turns my stomach to think these are the idiots the state employs to “serve and protect” Pathetic!
any 1 who would harm an animal would harm and old person or child. they should be shot it isnt fair.
jaymay
says:This makes me sick to my stomach! I literally have tears in my eyes! DISGUSTING! I am so sick of hearing these stories and the police claiming that the animal “charged” towards them. That is a lie and they know it. Neighbors say the dog was cowering against the house as they were shooting at it….how is that charging!?! I freaking hate police! I just have no words for how disgusting this is.
Any officer has to have permission to put that weapon. Look on police web site look for faq click on it and like a report so I.a. will pick it up and charge them with get and shooting their weapons without permission.
nelswyt
says:Lisa, Is English your first language? If so, you need to go back to school and learn how to write a coherent sentence. Your comment does not make sense.
As for the police – Thugs with guns and big egos. This was a complete over-reaction and they should all be shot!
PJ
says:Nelswyt…You do not know Lisa so why are you putting her down? She could be foreign or Deaf or even poorly educated (though she clearly read the article and went to the police website so this seems unlikely). American sign language is often written as very poor English. But allow me to translate for you. “Any police officer has to have permission to fire their weapon. Look on the police website under FAQ (frequently asked questions), click on it and file a report so I.A. (Internal Affairs) will pick it up and charge them with using/shooting their weapons without permission.”
Now I am not not validated any of what she said as true or possible but I understood what she was trying to say. It is not necessary to berate her simply because you could not.
PJ
says:*validating
And once IA thinks enough time has passed and we’ve forgotten all about this, those cops will be right back on their jobs. Its happened before. Check back in a few months and see where they are.
Allen
says:Well no wonder she was barking! She was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people and outside in the Michigan winter. You’d bark too! Then to be shot to death multiple times for the massive crime of just trying to get inside? Forget making those thug cops do community service – charge them animal cruelty and fire them! This is beyond asinine!
leatherlady
says:Truth beknown Lexie was probably just happy to see someone and going to visit the police to say hi. Im so sick of animals being mistreaded by police just because they have a badge. I doubt very much that she was charging them, they are just stupid, and I agree they need their guns taken away until they know how to and when to use them.
George Chase
says:Need their guns taken away, PERIOD! And lose their jobs, that dog was a family member, inside the designated yard. Neighbors don’t have phones to call the grandfather? They ned prosecution too! Saddening.
Sibyl Walski
says:This is Michigan in winter. The dog was barking because he was cold and wanted in. When the police came, far from “charging them” or “acting aggressively”, he ran to them thinking they were there to help him get back inside. This happens so often, I suspect the cops are just looking for a target and killing an animal has no consequences.
This is total wrong, what is wrong with the police, Lexie was trying to do her job of protecting the grandfather..as for the police i would be ashamed if i was them..and someones needs to lose there job or jobs..if some one shoot my crittier for bullshit reasons i would not ever let them forget..
kd
says:in Chester County PA, when a man shot to death 2 bernese mountain dogs , his sentence included: As part of his sentencing, Pilotti was ordered to serve 200 hours of community service at an SPCA or another facility that houses dogs. Pilotti was also ordered to pay restitution and surrender all of his weapons to the Sheriff’s Department. He will not be allowed to own a gun while on probation…………………..
If the police Killed this dog, obviously barking for help, while he was not up against the house.. they should have the same sentence. If it’s true, their weapons should be taken away as well. They don’t deserve to be police.
kd
says:Correction… While he WAS up against the house.
Sharon
says:This is why I’ve lost most of my respect for police. What they did to Lexi was the act of THUGS, not cops. There was a time not too long ago when they would have assumed that the dog belonged to the person at the home she was at: she was trying to get inside when they were blasting away. Instead, they acted like assassins and kept on firing. Who does that? Thugs, criminals, and gangsters, that’s who! Twenty years ago they would have taken her to the animal shelter after subduing her WITHOUT KILLING HER if they didn’t ask the homeowner about her, even at that hour. Now they simply shoot for the hell of it, not caring whose dog it is: they ENJOY it. Honestly, I actually hate most of them, and I grew up around cops I respected in a small town where I knew the locals well.
Tina Wilson
says:I so agree ~ I don’t know what’s wrong with police/PEOPLE these days! Their opinion is “when in doubt, kill”. Life means nothing to anyone anymore.. so sad to live in such a hateful world.
Use tranquilizer to sedate the dog and figure out the problem, afterwards, killing the dog is so final. Poor decisions, you use taser on people committing crime/not killing them…. so with the dogs you could use tranquilizers.
Most unfortunate, Police, Animal Control needs to report this to the state to supply what they need.
Mary Ann Malott
says:This is so heart wrenching!!!!!! they should be accountable for their dame actions…….RIP LEXI
c daniels
says:AND I USED TO STICK-UP FOR COPS….. NOOOO MORE…. THEY ARE SCUMBAGS JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE ANIMAL ABUSERS…
Could not agree more with you give a cop a gun and the world is their oyster What they should have done is tranquilized the dog NOT GO CRAZY SHOOTING TO KILL THIS IS WHERE THE WORLD IS FUCKED UP .
Look, I pride myself on liking dogs better than people, but the dog charged them first. Still there were other methods.
The police SAID the dog charged them. Because they SAID it does not mean its the gospel truth. If they could shoot a cowering dog, its very possible that they could lie about the circumstances too.
Kitty
says:TOTALLY agree! This whole story is crazy. Firstly I doubt the dog was “charging” them; secondly why keep shooting a poor dog to death who just wanted to get inside her house? Worst case, couldn’t she have been tranquilized or shot just to wound or stop her (if she really was being aggressive)? This is why I detest most cops! Even asshole people who are committing crimes get treated better. I hope this girl can sue the hell out of the police dept. You bet I would.