CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) has released surveillance video that shows an off-duty Chicago police officer shoot and kill a neighbor's dog after it got into a fight with the officer’s dog.
It happened on the morning of April 21 at 29th Street and Normal Boulevard in the Bridgeport neighborhood.
Chicago Police Officer Carmen Mostek was walking her corgi when the neighbor’s mixed-breed dog escaped from a yard. COPA said the unleashed dog “began to engage the off-duty officer’s dog,” and while the footage doesn’t show how it started, it does show the escaped dog attacking the off-duty officer’s dog.
The neighbor is then seen arriving from around the corner down, and they try to separate the dogs. Mostek is shown shooting the neighbor's dog while it was in the neighbor’s arms.
From the beginning of the fight to the shooting, video shows the events took place within 10 seconds.
Content Warning: The video included below shows the fatal shooting of a dog. There is no sound. All of materials related to the shooting can be viewed online.
In one of the videos, the neighbor can be heard yelling after the off-duty officer fired the shot.
“She shot my dog,” the neighbor says. “Why? You [expletive] idiot. Why? You just killed my dog.”
Mostek is seen running away. She called 911 and identified herself as an off-duty officer.
“Hi, I'm an off-duty PO,” she said. “I'm at 29th and Normal. There was a dog attacking my dog and I had to shoot it, and the neighbor's freaking out.”
COPA wrote: “Based upon the serious nature of the incident, COPA recommends that CPD evaluate the current assignment of the officer and whether administrative duties or relief of powers is warranted.”
The owner of the dog filed a lawsuit.
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