SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A San Antonio police officer shot and killed a dog which people in a South side neighborhood say was charging at him at the time.
The shooting happened after 8 a.m. Friday in the Mission del Lago neighborhood, in the 11900 block of Cink Drive.
Officers said they were in the area after receiving reports of dogs wandering the neighborhood and acting aggressively.
A preliminary police report says the same dogs had bitten two people Thursday, causing minor injuries.
It says one of the animals charged at an officer Friday morning as he was trying to enter his patrol car.
Norma Garcia says she heard a commotion, involving dogs barking, and stepped outside her front door.
“I saw the dog attacking the cop, and that’s when I saw him fire the shot,” she said. “Of course, you know, he did what he had to do.”
The dog that was shot died.
Officers with Animal Care Services later arrived and took custody of a second dog from the back yard of a home.
Garcia and others say the animals had been terrorizing the neighborhood for some time, barking and chasing almost anyone who crossed their paths.
“You know, it’s like, we can’t even sit outside and enjoy our coffee at all,” Garcia said. “It’s sad, but they were a nuisance.”
Her husband, meanwhile, spoke about an even closer and more uncomfortable encounter recently.
“I was on a ladder and three dogs, they just came at me,” said Herman Broussard. “Very aggressive.”
Broussard said he managed to grab a rake from his garage and beat back the attack at that time.
Down the street, Seda Cowan said her mother and toddler had a similar scare two months ago.
Their run-in was captured on her doorbell camera.
Cowan played the video, showing two dogs running toward her front yard and barking at her two family members.
She said they were able to run inside their home to escape the impending attack.
“I was just so terrified because my son got so scared,” Cowan said.
According to police, there have been numerous complaints involving the same dogs.
The report from SAPD said after the biting incident Thursday, ACS officers left a notice taped to the front door of a home.
Police say the ACS staff members were not able to capture the animals at that time because they ran back onto private property.
Neighbors believe the people who lived in the home recently moved out, leaving the animals behind.
KSAT 12 News sent text messages to the woman who was listed as the dog owner on the ACS documents. However, she denied owning the dogs.
Police say they have identified the owner of the dogs but have not tracked down that person yet. It is unclear if that dog owner will face any charges.
While neighbors are relieved that the threat has been eliminated, they feel sad about what happened to the dogs.
But they say they do not blame the police officer at all.
“It’s an animal, right?,” said Cowan. “The dog doesn’t know. I feel like the owner should’ve done better.”