CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
The owner of a pit bull that was shot and killed by police officers who were serving a search warrant last Friday is speaking out.
"She was not a big dog," pit bull owner Janine Lopez said. "She wasn't a big thick dog. She was just protecting."
Lopez said she was out of town Friday, when police swarmed her property looking for illegal drugs. Officers said they had been alerted to the presence of aggressive dogs on the property, and that the one they shot had charged at the officers several times. They also said they used flash grenades and rubber bullets, but that didn't stop the animal.
Lopez said the dog was not a threat, because it was tied up.
"They could have pepper sprayed her, or Tazed her," Lopez said. "You know, do it any other way. They said they used bean bags and rubber bullets, but I still think that wasn't the correct way, you know, to do it."
"You're dealing with large, aggressive dogs, that are easily capable of injuring or killing a human being," said Captain Jason Brady of the Corpus Christi Police Department. "Our officers, we're not out there to get hurt, and we're not going to get hurt if we can avoid it, and we make no apologies for that."
When it was over, Lopez said police only found legal, prescription medication that belonged to her.
