An Elizabeth police officer and an Elbert County deputy were justified in shooting a pit bull that had gotten out of its pen and tried to attack the officer in May, according to an outside investigation.
The owner of the pit bull named Bambam, or Bam, as he is called on a Facebook page dedicated to his death, faces several charges for violating local animal ordinances, Elizabeth Police Chief Michael Phibbs said in a written statement on Wednesday.
Phibbs declined further comment.
The dog’s owner, Randee Hert, could not be reached for comment.
According to the investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, after the dog became aggressive and lunged at an unnamed Elizabeth police officer, the officer shot at Bambam seven times.
An Elbert County sheriff’s deputy shot the dog twice to put him out of his misery because the dog was suffering, town officials said.
Police had received two dog-at-large reports about Bambam prior to the fatal shooting, according to town administrator Chris LaMay.
Hert was not home at the time of the shooting. But she previously said she was not sure how Bambam got out of his chain-link kennel, which is 12 feet by 12 feet and has a 5-foot-high fence.
On May 23, Bambam got loose and ran into the yard of one of Hert’s neighbors, who called police. When police arrived, the dog was running loose in a field.
When they tried to corral him, the dog became aggressive and the officer fired two shots into him.
A witness told Hert that Bambam then went into the street, and the officer fired two more times. Bambam hid under the front deck of Hert’s home and was shot two more times, Hert said. The officer then fired another shot at him in the yard.
The Elbert County deputy then fired the final two shots at the dog.
According to Phibbs, the Sheriff’s Office interviewed witnesses, Hert and other officers at the scene and considered other evidence before reaching its conclusion.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
