Officer shot dog that charged at him, Wichita police say

An officer responding to a call about a parking violation near a home in the 400 block of East 37th Street South on Wednesday shot a dog who charged at him, Wichita police said Thursday.

The officer was sent to the neighborhood at about 2:15 p.m., Officer Charley Davidson said.

While investigating the parking violation, a dog – which Davidson said was a pit bull/mastiff mix – ran out of the home and charged at the officer. He ran to his patrol car but felt in fear and thought he would be bitten, Davidson said.

The officer fired one time, hitting the dog in its head. The dog was taken to an emergency veterinarian for treatment, Davidson said.

The incident is still under investigation. The house from which the dog ran was connected to the reported parking violation, but police don’t yet know if the dog got out on its own or if someone released the dog, Davidson said.

The officer was not injured.

This story was originally published October 26, 2017 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Officer shot dog that charged at him, Wichita police say."