THE THIN BLUE LINE
WACO, Texas — The Waco Police Department is facing backlash on social media Monday night following their announcement on how they “accidentally” shot and killed a dog after responding to the wrong address.
According to a news release posted on Facebook, a resident called police on Saturday, June 3, at 3:17 p.m. and said her house was being burglarized and needed officers to “come now.”
Waco PD said dispatch entered “3204 N. 20th A St.” into their address system, but then it reportedly autocorrected to “3204 N. 20th St.,” which is the address officers responded to.
Responding to the wrong address, officers saw a door ajar. Officers “announced their presence” before “multiple dogs came toward officers who retreated,” the department claimed. One dog lunged twice toward an officer, the department claimed. After the second lunge, the officer shot the dog. The department did not say whether the officers entered the property.
The dog, a 10-year-old black lab named Finn, died at a veterinary clinic. Waco police said a commander “met the family at the clinic, offered his sympathy, and provided information regarding services provided as a result of the incident.”
“We are regretful of the outcome regarding our response that resulted in the death of Finn,” blah, blah, blah, the department said in a statement on Facebook, adding that dispatchers and officers will work to confirm that addresses put into their computer-aided dispatch system are accurate.
A GoFundMe posted by a friend of Finn’s owner described the officer as “trigger happy.” The fundraiser had raised $7900 as of Thursday afternoon to hire a lawyer on the family’s behalf.
‘None of Them Would Help Me’ Waco Family Seeks Justice After Police Shoots, Kills Beloved Dog
before cops
Cassandra Page says they leave their back door open for their five dogs and three cats to move in and out of the home freely.
While the cops claim that one dog “acted more aggressively” and lunged at an officer twice, which led to the shooting, the dog owner has a different perspective.
Matt Vazquez, Page’s boyfriend said “acting aggressive is the last thing Finn, a 10-year-old black Labrador Retriever, would do.” “Our dogs will rush up to people just to say hi and figure out who the person is,” Vasquez explained.
After Finn was shot and their other dog Hannah was tased, Page says Waco PD did absolutely nothing to help Finn.
“I pulled him to the car and none of them helped me,” Page said. “None of them even said anything, they never moved. They just watched me the whole time run around like I was crazy.”
Both Page, Vasquez and the rest of their pets they consider family are now left to adjust to life without Finn.
“It’s been so hard for us every day. The first time we fed the dogs without Finn, we all just broke down crying. Everything was in fives and we don’t have that anymore,” Page said.
At the time this article was published, it remained unclear why one dog was shot and the other dog was tased.
