CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Clayton County police say they are investigating an incident where an officer shot and killed his neighbor’s dog.
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The Senegals are heartbroken that their 2-year-old rottweiler Rocco is gone. That’s after a Clayton County officer shot their pet right along Millstone Drive in Jonesboro on Aug. 14.
The officer says he had no choice, but the Senegals say it didn’t have to happen.
Renee and Darryl Senegal shared video of the incident with Channel 2’s Tom Jones.
”And we looked at Rocco lying in the street, and we lost it and just went into the backyard," Renee Senegal said.
“Like it didn’t even have to happen. It was just ridiculous,” Darryl Senegal explained.
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The officer didn’t see it that way.
Police say the officer saw Rocco chasing a child. The Senegals say the child saw Rocco and took off running.
Clayton County police say the officer tried to contain Rocco but couldn’t.
Officers say Rocco was aggressive, and the officer pepper-sprayed him, then fired one shot after he continued to be aggressive.
Rocco then died.
The Senegals say Rocco wasn’t aggressive but was confused after he was pepper-sprayed.
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”He didn’t chase the officer. He was barking and the officer, you can see him kind of backing up and standing there. But he (was) standing over him for minutes with the gun drawn on him," Darryl Senegal explained.
Neighbors tried to get Rocco to return home.
However, when he stepped toward the officer, that’s when he fired. A car blocks the actual shooting.
The family says the officer lives in the neighborhood and knows Rocco isn’t a threat.
“He’s seen my husband walking him all the time. He knows that the dog is not aggressive,” Renee Senegal told Jones.
The Senegals want the officer off the job.
The CCPD says the incident remains under review per department policy.
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