Mesa officer shoots, kills dog in park as unhoused owner slept nearby

Homeless man's 'aggressive' dog shot by police at Mesa park

Mesa Police shot a pit bull at a park as its owner slept nearby, saying the dog was going to attack officers. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean hears from the owner, who wants to see accountability for the shooting.

MESA, Ariz. - An encounter between Mesa police officers and an unhoused man's dog ended with gunfire, after police said the dog was going to attack officers.

The backstory:

"We had him ever since he was nine weeks old," said the dog's owner, Jarell White.

White and his partner Bertha Hines said their pit bull, Dutch, was a funny and loving dog. Recently, Hines was hospitalized, and White was taking care of Dutch but did not have a permanent home.

"But he had his daddy to protect him and I knew he was gonna be alright," Hines said.

The incident took place just before 3 a.m. on Nov. 29, when officers arrived at Fitch Park in Mesa and found White, asleep on a picnic table under a ramada— a violation of city code.  

Dig deeper:

Edited body camera footage, sent to FOX 10, showed officers shine a light on the duo and approach. The officers did not announce their presence, other than this one word— "Hey."

"Why didn't they yell? Why didn't they yell to the owner? If he was right there he could've gotten him and he would've, he would've gone crazy to get his dog," Hines said. "He would've gotten him on a leash and controlled him. They didn't give us that option."

Instead, Dutch is seen leaping off the table toward the officers. Police said Dutch was snarling and trying to bite, and one officer discharged three rounds, striking Dutch, who then ran off wounded.

What they're saying:

White questioned why there wasn't more of a warning, saying he was asleep when the police showed up.

"What happened to sirens? You couldn't give me a 'whoop whoop,' a honk of a horn?" White asked. "Give me the honk of a horn, anything. None of those steps were taken."

"The flashlights were in their face," Hines added.

Dutch was taken to an animal hospital by police, where he was put down due to the extent of his injuries.

White said he wants to see the officers involved held accountable in some way.

Hines, meanwhile, said the image of her dog dead at the animal hospital is the last thing she sees before she goes to sleep every night.

"My baby was at Country Club all that time by himself? He had died without us!" Hines cried.

What's next:

Mesa Police said an initial review of the incident showed the use-of-force was consistent with policy when confronted by an aggressive dog. 

There is a Critical Incident Review Board taking a deeper look at the case. FOX 10 also requested the full body camera from police.

Map of the incident location.