WATCH: Man confronts officers after dog shot, 'You guys killed my best friend'
SALT LAKE CITY -- A man in Utah got a call from animal control officials saying police officers shot and killed his dog in the backyard of his home. Sean Kendall raced home and confronted the officers — and recorded the entire confrontation and posted it to his Facebook page.
On Thursday, Kendall told KSTU-TV that internal affairs investigators looked in the backyard and Kendall said the officer was about 20 feet into it when he fired two shots that killed 2-year-old weimeraner Geist.
Salt Lake City Police say they were searching June 18 for a missing 3-year-old and an officer went into Kendall’s backyard but felt threatened by Geist, causing him to open fire.
When Kendall arrived home, he confronted officers who were there, but the officer who shot the dog was gone, but so Sgt. Joseph Cyr talked with Kendall.
“We entered the yard looking for a lost child. He was threatened by the dog and shot the dog. That’s as simple as it gets,” Cyr said.
“So I get to bury my dog because an officer couldn’t back up and close the (deleted) gate,” Kendall said during the exchange. “Something’s gotta change, and I know it wasn’t you. I’m sorry but I’m (upset).”
KSTU-TV reported that Salt Lake City Police aren’t saying what specific threat Geist posed and said the investigation continues.
The seven Salt Lake City Council members sent a letter to Police Chief Chris Burbank saying the department needs to “educate” the public on police procedures when a child goes missing and how a search of nearby properties should be conducted.
“Within the community at large there’s a lot of people who have animals and have pets and are guardians of pets, they want the answers too,” said Carly Arky, director of communications for the Humane Society of Utah.
“I think we’re suited to work with the police department, but that’s up to them to contact us. The story’s building. The story is building, and I think the frustration is building.”
WARNING: This video contains graphic language/content