An Erie County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a 1.5-year-old dog named Oakley in his family’s front yard in Lake City on Friday, June 12.
According to the family, the deputy was at the residence to serve paperwork to a woman who no longer lived there.
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Oakley’s owners, Madeline Reese and Liam, reported the incident occurred when the deputy approached their home.
Reese described the dog as a beloved member of the family.
“He was the nicest dog ever. Not a mean bone in his body. He would lick you to death but he was just amazing,” Reese said.
According to the family and neighbors, the deputy fired three rounds, with two reportedly striking and killing Oakley. Video footage from the scene shows what the family identified as a bullet hole in the porch floor with Oakley’s blood next to it.
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“His head popped through the door a little bit and the cop stepped back and fired and shot him right in the neck,” Reese said. “The dog instantly ran out of the house after he got shot and the cop shot the dog for a second time. The dog ran down the porch and came in the yard and ended up passing away.”
“He was very friendly and he’s never been mean to anyone. He would never in a million years. He doesn’t have one bad bone in his body,” Liam said. “I’m sad and I’m also mad at that cop that did that because he had mace that he could have used instead of a gun.”
The Lake City Police Department confirmed that the shooting is under investigation. County officials said that they are aiding in the investigation where needed.
Authorities are working to obtain doorbell footage from the home to assist with the investigation.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WJET/WFXP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WJET/WFXP staff before being published.