The Los Angeles police was called to check on a woman heard “screaming” for 2o minutes but the police shot her 2-year-old doodle in a wellness check gone wrong. The LA police department has now released the footage, showing one officer commenting that the dog is “huge”, seconds before the deadly shootout, while his partner responds he “ain’t getting bit by that, bro”.
Jameson, the pet dog, was shot Saturday, June 13, outside an apartment where two officers had responded to reports of a woman screaming. It later turned out the woman Marie Marseille was celebrating the NBA championship victory of New York Knicks.
The footage, captured on the officers’ body cameras, shows a grey dog wearing a blue shirt appearing at the doorway alongside a woman and barking at the officers.
As officers ask the woman to restrain the dog, she apologises and says, “He’s not aggressive at all. I apologise.”
Moments later, as the dog continues barking and runs toward one of the officers, the officer fires four shots.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) June 18, 2026
The deceased dog was later taken into custody by the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, according to Captain Mike Bland, an LAPD spokesperson, who appears in a video accompanying the footage.
Bland said the department would investigate the incident, interview witnesses and conduct forensic testing if new evidence emerges.
What else could the police do
The LAPD has a use-of-force policy for hostile dog encounters since 2023. This lists several alternatives officers can use before resorting to gunfire, including verbal commands, chemical spray, a baton, a fire extinguisher, a Taser, a beanbag shotgun and kicking.
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the footage as “disturbing and tragic”.
“While the investigation is ongoing, I am very concerned about why shots were fired and Jameson was killed,” Bass said in a statement on Friday. “This shooting makes clear that while LAPD provides officers with written guidance on the use of force and pets, this is not enough.”
Bass said she had directed the police chief and the president of the Board of Police Commissioners to review the department’s policies governing dog encounters and update training related to the use of lethal force.
