A police officer in Texas shot a woman while he was trying to stop an aggressive dog.
The woman was identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner as Margarita Brooks, 30, reported Fox 4.
Brooks passed out on Aug. 1 on a grassy area near a road in Arlington and a bystander who saw her called the police around 5 p.m.
One of the officers who responded was approaching the woman when a dog on the loose began sprinting toward him while barking.
He brandished his gun and fired at the dog. When the woman screamed, he realized at least one of the bullets had hit her.
“After the shots were fired, the woman yelled out and it was apparent she was injured,” police said in a news release sent to CBS DFW.
Brooks was rushed to a nearby hospital. She was soon pronounced dead.
Latonya Stotts, who lives nearby, told Fox 4: “I thought maybe somebody had heat exhaustion because it was so hot. So when I got back over to the room, I talked to some other people and they said they heard gunshots, like two or three of them. And I’m like, ‘Oh okay.’ So then when I kept hearing the police sirens. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, something serious happened.'”
TEXAS: Arlington Officer Opens Fire on Loose Dog, Kills Nearby Woman Instead After Welfare Check Call https://t.co/Y0LifXEzZ4 via @nbcdfw
— Brandon Kling (@BreaKLINGnews) August 2, 2019
Stotts blamed the officer for killing Brooks.
The incident was captured on body camera footage and an internal investigation is taking place.
The officer who fired the shots has not been identified publicly.
Acquaintances of Brooks told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram she was known as “Maggie.” They said she and her boyfriend were homeless and that the couple had a dog.
Arlington officer accidentally kills woman while shooting at running dog, police say https://t.co/pM7xRPLvqt
— Fort Worth Star-Telegram (@startelegram) August 2, 2019
The trio was often seen near the shopping center where she was shot, the acquaintances said.
A number of shops appeared to be in the area.
They included a Walmart and a bank.
The location was also just south of the Crystal Canyon Natural Area.
Bodycam Footage Shows Officer Fatally Shoot Dog
Bodycam footage was released this week showing a New Jersey officer shooting a dog that was charging him.
Patrolman Emmanuel Rivera shot the dog, later identified as a Labrador retriever named Hiro, on July 27.
Vernon police said that the dog was “aggressively charg[ing]” Rivera and that he attempted to verbally command the canine to stop before shooting the dog dead.
On Monday, Vernon Police released body camera footage of the shooting, saying they are “committed to transparency, our community, and residents.”
Warning: Footage contains graphic imagery.
The dog’s owner disputed the account.
“He wasn’t lunging or biting or anything,” Jen Hearon told News 12. “Just barking at him.”
The family is considering a lawsuit.
In a statement, Harry Shortway, the Vernon mayor, wrote: “All discharges of police firearms are reviewed and in incidents such as this, full investigations are conducted. The death of a pet is always sad no matter what the circumstances and our thoughts and prayers for comfort are with all parties involved.”
