Police Video Shows Officers Killing Dog at Wrong Address

Waco Police has released bodycam footage of an incident that saw officers shoot and kill a Texas couple's dog, having visited the wrong house after a 911 call.

After the incident, Waco Police shared an apology on its Facebook page and offered an explanation, including how officers managed to go to the incorrect home.

The police officers ended up at the wrong address after a dispatch system autocorrected an address in the 3200 block of North 20th A Street.

A woman had called 911 reporting a burglary in progress at this address. However, police arrived one street over at the 3200 block of North 20th Street. The police clarified in their statement that due to the autocorrect, the "A" in "A Street" was removed.

The police said the dog that was shot, a black Labrador named Finn, "acted aggressively" towards police and lunged. However, this version of events was disputed by the dog's owners, couple Cassandra Page and Matt Vasquez.

The bodycam footage shows two officer viewpoints, as well as how they approached the incorrect house before engaging with the multiple dogs at the property.

The initial 911 call said that an individual had kicked a door down, asking for police to come quickly to the property. When police arrive at the wrong address they found a back door open.

The two officers then hopped the garden fence and approach the back door with their guns drawn, not knowing whether any suspect on the property is armed. After the officers announced their presence, five dogs come out into the garden.

"Officers announced their presence, and shortly thereafter multiple dogs came toward officers who retreated. One dog who acted more aggressively lunged at our officer, retreated, and then lunged at the officer again," police said in a statement.

"After the dog lunged a second time toward the officer, the officer made the decision to fire one round of his duty-issued weapon, striking the dog. Finn was taken to the emergency medical clinic by his owner."

The bodycam footage appears to show this moment, as well as the other officer using their taser on one of the dogs.

Bodycam footage also shows officers interacting with the owner Page after the shooting.

Officers explained the situation and apologized. Page then told them there was no incident and that she was sleeping at the time of their arrival.

A Waco Police Department commander arrives at the scene minutes later as Finn's owner takes him to an emergency animal clinic. The police commander met the couple at the clinic, offering his sympathies and telling them about the services available. He also offered to pay for Finn's veterinary bill, according to the couple.

After the shooting, Vasquez raced home after receiving a call from Page. The pair then took Finn to an emergency clinic but, due to the dog's age and the severity of his injuries, he died.

The police footage ended with a message from the Waco Police Department offering another apology for the incident. They also said they are conducting an internal investigation and will "work diligently" to understand the root cause of the location discrepancy to ensure it does not happen again.

The Waco Police Department referred Newsweek to the video and the statement on its Facebook page when reached for further comment.