PHILADELPHIA, PA — A distressing incident in West Philadelphia resulted in a police officer fatally shooting two dogs after they attacked a woman and a resident on Wednesday morning. The altercation occurred shortly before 9:00 AM on the 1500 block of North 57th Street.
The sequence of events began when an 18-year-old Black female, walking down the street, noticed two Pitbulls fighting on a porch. A 57-year-old Black male resident of the house called out to the woman for help. As she intervened using mace to separate the dogs, a second Pitbull from the residence joined the fray, attacking the woman and inflicting bites on her arm and ankle.
The situation escalated as the woman managed to escape, prompting the dogs to turn on each other. Upon arrival, a responding officer witnessed the ongoing dog fight and discharged his weapon multiple times, resulting in the fatal wounding of the stray dog and one of the resident’s Pitbulls.
The injured woman was transported to Lankenau Hospital for treatment of her injuries, while the resident, who sustained a bite to his chest, declined medical attention. Philadelphia Animal Control has taken custody of the deceased dogs for further investigation.
The entire incident, including the officer’s response, was captured on police body camera footage. The Philadelphia Police Department is likely to review this footage as part of their standard procedure in assessing the officer’s use of force during the incident.
