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Body camera video shows Nampa police officer shooting dog

Police say the dog charged at the officer and tried to bite him.

NAMPA, Idaho — The Nampa Police Department released body camera video showing an officer shooting a pet dog.

The department is investigating the shooting. It happened while an officer was responding to a home Sunday afternoon. 

The body camera video shows the officer walking up to the house, located on South Fremont Street in Nampa. The officer was responding for a complaint about a dog barking. When he arrived at the house to speak with the resident, according to the police department, he could see two large-breed dogs at the door barking.

When the person inside the home opened the door, both dogs ran out. The homeowner was able to hold one back, but one of them got loose. That dog was "barking and aggressively attacking the officer," according to Nampa Police. 

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Police say the officer tried to push the dog away with his foot, but it continued to charge.

"The Officer was backed up against the garage and could not go back any further as the dog jumped at the Officer attempting to bite him," the department wrote in a press release. "With the dog coming at him a second time he fired one round from his duty pistol, striking the dog."

The department said the shot was aimed away from the front of the house, towards the empty yard. 

The resident of the home told the officer she had not meant for the dog to attack him and was watching the pet for a friend. The dog was taken to a local veterinary clinic for treatment. 

Watch the full bodycam video of the altercation below:

That resident is Christina Logan-Gianfrancesco. She told KTVB the dog now belongs to her, and she's upset with how the situation was handled. 

She wants the Nampa police officer who shot the dog to go through more training. 

"Take a second longer to assess the situation, understand its a big dog jumping at you but hey he was wagging his tail so he's not doing anything," she said. "I would feel more comfortable with just at least him going through more training especially if you're going to be a cop that responds to an animal call, you should have the proper training to deal with that."

A spokesperson for the department told KTVB the officer did what he was trained to do.

"Officers are trained first and foremost to protect themselves, each year we do get four to eight hours of training in this topic specifically," Det. Gary Marang said.

RELATED: Behind the story: Nampa Police dispatch

As is customary when an officer fires his or her weapon on the job, the Nampa Police Department is looking into the circumstances of the shooting and reviewing video of the incident.

"These situations are never easy and is a lose-lose situation as the Officer or the dog may be hurt," the department wrote in the release. "Luckily this was an Officer that was attacked and not a child or neighbor walking by when the dog ran out."

Logan-Gianfrancesco told KTVB the dog is resting and healing up at a veterinary office in Meridian.

She initially started a GoFundMe to raise money to pay for the dog's medical treatments. Following the release of the body camera video of the shooting, Logan-Gianfrancesco is now offering refunds to anyone that donated money to her GoFundMe.

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