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Task Force Investigates Las Cruces Officer Shooting Of Dog

Las Cruces Police and the Officer-involved Incident Task Force are investigating the shooting of a dog Monday morning.

Shortly before 11 a.m. officers were dispatched to the report of a vicious dog, possibly a terrier-mix, on the 1000 block of Larry Drive. Officers learned that the dog apparently bit or attacked a 79-year-old man who resides near the owners of the canine.

A Las Cruces Police officers arrived on scene and attempted to exit his patrol unit when the dog approached aggressively, pinning the officer against his unit. The officer is believed to have fired at least one round which struck the dog.

An Animal Control officer took the dog to a local veterinarian where the dog was pronounced dead.

Injuries to the 79-year-old man who was bit or attacked by the dog are not life-threatening. Investigators are also looking into the possibility that the dog may have attacked someone else earlier in the day.

The Officer-involved Incident Task Force includes investigators from New Mexico State Police, the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State University Police and the Las Cruces Police Department.

Information from Las Cruces Police