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MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - The public is getting a better look at an incident involving a Minneapolis Police officer who shot two dogs on the city's north side after the department released its body camera footage, showing the night's events all the way through the officer explaining to the sobbing owner what had happened.
The graphic video shows a closer view of the dog's behavior during the July 8 burglary call after home security footage of the incident surfaced the following day. That video quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of views online, leading to an outpouring of support--financial and otherwise--in assisting with the animals' long road to recovery.
A police report stated that the dogs were "charging," though the dog's owner, Jennifer LeMay, and her friend Tasha Bacon, believe the video shows something else entirely.
"He wasn't charging anybody," Bacon said. "He came out like he always does--like, 'Hey, what's going on?'"
Rocco and Ciroc are both service dogs that serve Jennifer LeMay's children, with the former trained to identify seizures and the latter helping to maintain emotional regulation and alleviate anxiety.
In the aftermath of the incident, MPD Chief Janeé Harteau said the department is implementing mandatory training sessions for police-dog encounters, and said the department hopes to help the family with their veterinary bills going forward.