UPDATE: Police shoot dog in South Delridge

6:07 PM: Seattle Police are on SW Cambridge east of Delridge Way, investigating an incident that involved at least one officer shooting a dog. The incident began with a report of a dog biting a person. We are at the scene, where police will only say that no human was injured and the “dog’s status is unknown.”

6:54 PM: A little more information from SPD via Twitter: Both the dog and the dog-bite victim “left the area.” If you see an injured dog in the vicinity, please report it to 911. Via archived scanner audio, the dog was described as a pit bull. Nothing yet about why police opened fire on it; the department’s Force Investigation Team is investigating.

8:26 PM: Dispatch just told officers the dog has been dropped off at a clinic. No word on its condition.

ADDED 12:33 PM FRIDAY: A few more details just published on SPD Blotter:

Two officers were on another call near the 9200 block of Delridge Way Southwest around 5:50 PM when they heard screaming. Officers ran to the source of the screaming and found the injured man and the dog. An officer opened fire, striking the dog.

The male dog bite victim left the scene before officers or medics could speak with him. The dog also fled the scene but was later found and taken to an emergency veterinarian for treatment.

The Force Investigations Team is now investigating the shooting as in accordance with department policy. If you witnessed this incident or the events leading up to it, please contact detectives at 206-684-9292.

ADDED MONDAY NIGHT: A commenter points out police added some video from the incident to their original SPD Blotter post.

DH October 21, 2022 (8:59 am)

Any more on this WSB? I live and regularly walk my dog in South Delridge. I recently saw 3 stray dogs with no collars in the area in a week and a half. I was only able to intervene in one instance and got the dog back to its owners. Please be careful with dogs and leash them properly. And since I wouldn’t want to break a tradition to calling out a continuing problem, please pick up your dogs poop!

WSB October 21, 2022 (10:59 am)

Not yet; we’re asking followup questions of course.

April October 21, 2022 (10:53 am)

Poor Puppy :( I hope the dog is okay.

Steph October 21, 2022 (4:15 pm)

Poor puppy!?! Are you joking?! Thanks to the police for doing their job and shooting it! For decades now I have observed untrained, uninhibited, dangerous pit bulls and other dogs running loose in the White Center, West Seattle, Alki Beach areas, in parks, on the streets, etc. threatening and attacking people. Maybe people who have these dogs know they will be shot if they run loose terrorizing people they will wise up and keep them home and trained. BTW I love dogs and my two neighbor’s pit bulls love me. But the bad bully dogs have to go.

Johnny October 23, 2022 (8:47 am)

Steph, something is wrong with you if you think it’s ok to shoot dogs.
- K October 25, 2022 (4:26 pm)
  
  Any dog mauling or attacking a human should absolutely be shot to protect the human. If I carried and a dog tried attacking my little dog, I’d do the same thing.

Brian October 21, 2022 (4:22 pm)

Absolutely nothing about this published narrative makes any sense. Even a charitable reading of these events paints SPD as grossly incompetent.

Elizabeth October 21, 2022 (5:20 pm)

Are you serious Steph maybe ur kid should get shot go to hell this TRAINED EXTREMELY UN DANGEROUS UNLESS YOU CONSIDER KISSES AND SNUGGLES DANGER BEAUTIFUL DOG WAS NOT RUNNING LOOSE TERRORIZING ANYTHING SHE WAS AT HER HOME AND BECAME TERRIFIED WHEN A TON OF PEOPLE RUSHED THROUGH WHERE HER HUMANS AND PUPPIES ARE SCREAMING not all pits are mean dogs especially this one it’s all on how they were raised this lovey girl was recently just rescued from being highly mis treated and she still never showed any agression toward anyone ever sweet and gentle as could be and in this situation this poor baby did nothing wrong and there was zero reason at all in any form for spd to even come close to there actions for one they were chasing someone and after a ton of people ran past her and her family (SHE JUST HAD PUPPIES) she acted accordingly she barked DID NOT LUNG RUSH OR CHARGE AT ANYONE AT ALL NO ONE WAS EVER BIT THAT IS A STRAIGHT LIE THATS WHY THE SO CALLED VICTIM DIDN’T STAY CAUSE ONE DOESN’T EXIST SHE DIDN’T RUN OFF SHE WAS RUSHED TO THE VET TO GET SURGERY TO SAVE HER LIFE AFTER NOT ONLY BEING SHOT BUT BEING TAZED BY SPD TWICE AND AS SHE WAS CRYING SHAKING RUNNING AWAY FROM THEM SCARED AS HELL RUNNING AWAY THE OPPOSITE FREAKING DIRECTION FROM TWO TASERS THEY THEN SHOT HER wtf

Jay October 22, 2022 (9:45 am)

The problem with pitbulls is that they’ve been bred for aggression and are genetically predisposed for attacking people. It doesn’t matter how well they’ve been trained, there’s always a chance that their brain can be triggered into attack mode. They are always dangerous. Denying this fact and not respecting pitbulls’ violent tendencies is negligent and increases the danger of these dogs. You say SPD had no reason to approach? A man was screaming and was being bitten by a pitbull.
- Rhonda October 22, 2022 (5:14 pm)
  
  That’s complete NONSENSE. A Pit Bull puppy is the exact same blank slate as a Golden Retriever or a Saint Bernard.
- fleur October 25, 2022 (12:48 pm)
  
  If you want to speak about facts, statistically, Labrador and Golden Retrievers are responsible for the most dog bites and attacks each year. Many dogs have been bred for fighting and not just other dogs, theres a large history of dogs being bred to fight bears, lions, and other creatures. You can also trace dogs back to their natural aggressive instincts from before domestication. The idea that pitbulls are the only aggressive dog or worse, the most aggressive dog is completely nonfactual. All dogs can snap and allow their brain to be “triggered into attack mode” but the dogs that this occurs in is most often Labs and Golden Retrievers as well as other purebreeds that have lowered iq due to a smaller gene pool and inbreeding.
  
  Stop spreading propaganda that has no basis in fact!
  
  Also SPD did nothing to help the person injured and didnt contain the dog, so what exactly do you think they accomplished other than injuring a dog that could have easily been picked up by animal control if >$363 million dollars of the cities annual budget didnt get used up funding SPD violence each year.
Detective Heller November 8, 2022 (12:29 pm)

Good afternoon Elizabeth,I am the the lead detective investigating this incident, and came across your comment while checking media articles for potential witnesses. My team has been out to the vicinity of the scene to canvass for witnesses multiple times, but has apparently not connected with you. If you did witness what occurred, could you please call the Seattle Police Department Force Investigation team at 206-684-9292, or email us at FIT@seattle.gov, and let us know how we can get in touch to interview you?Thank you!Detective T. HellerSeattle Police Department

MATT October 22, 2022 (9:04 am)

ELZABETH THANK YOU AND WELL SAID. IM SO ANGRY AFTER HEARING THE TRUTH AS TO WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT POOR GIRL. SO MANY PEOPLE MISLEAD LIKE STEPH ABOUT PITBULLS. IF THIS DOG WAS ANY BREED BESIDES A PITBULL THEY WOULDNT HAVE USED THE FORCE THEY DID. ANY UPDATE ON THIS DOG WOULD BE APPRECIATED!

Odd son October 23, 2022 (1:41 am)

I wish an officer was nearby when I was bitten and my family chased by a pit-bull illegally off leash at a park in 2010.

EdSane October 24, 2022 (10:10 pm)

Police released video of the encounter. I don’t think the all caps posts accurately represented what happened… I’m glad to hear the dog is recovering. I’m not sure if it’s the same dog that is across from Fresh Flours but it does look very similar. That owner has been grossly negligent in the past with containing their animals and also allowing them to sit at the top of the fence on some type of structure and reactively barking at anyone that walks past. It is a recipe for disaster.

WSB October 24, 2022 (11:08 pm)

Thanks,I totally missed that. I asked initially when they’d be releasing the video; looks like they just added it to the original blotter post on Saturday (noted in a tweet at noon, when I wasn’t sitting at the desk). And they still haven’t corrected the location from “South Park” …
https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2022/10/21/detectives-investigating-following-police-shooting-in-south-park/b

Sorry, comment time is over.