Former Rare Staff
Newly released body camera footage shows a Minnesota police officer shooting two dogs in their fenced-in backyard, as well as the moments leading up to and following the incident.
Videos by Rare
In the video, officer Michael Mays arrived at the home after responding to a false security alarm in early July. While he’s in the backyard of the home, one of the dogs approaches him in a friendly manner, wagging its tail. The officer shoots the pet right in the face before the other dog runs towards the officer and is shot as well.
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The footage then shows Mays climb over the fence, walk around to the front of the house and speak with the teenage resident who had tripped the alarm.
“I don’t like shooting dogs,” he says to the sobbing teen. “I love dogs.”
In a report filed after the incident, Mays indicated that the dogs, which he describes as pit bulls, had charged at him. The police union defended that claim and added that the first dog growled at him. However, the new footage cannot verify those assertions because no sound was recorded until after the shootings.
Luckily, both dogs survived the attack, one suffered a wound to the jaw and the other was hit with multiple bullets across its body. A GoFundMe page to raise money for their medical expenses has received nearly $40,000 already.
The new footage was released on Thursday, weeks after the home owner posted the surveillance video of the incident on Facebook, garnering thousands of views. The dog shooting comes in addition to another incident involving a Minneapolis officer who shot an Australian woman who had called to report a possible sexual assault.
The police department described the video as “difficult to watch” but has not yet commented specifically on Mays’ actions. Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau called for an Internal Affairs use of force review and indicated that training courses on dealing with dogs will be updated.
