Police officer sued after shooting puppy dead in front of its owners

A couple in Colorado are suing a police officer who shot their puppy after he initiated an encounter with the pair.

In June 2019, Loveland Police Officer Matthew Grashorn arrived in an empty lot, where Wendy Love and her husband were letting their dogs run around and drink water. The officer was responding to a call from the owner of a nearby building, who saw the couple on his remote security cameras and demanded the police see “what they were up to.”

Body camera footage of the incident shows Mr Grashorn arrive and – without announcing his presence – draw his pistol unprompted. He levels his gun on one of the couple’s dogs, who was running over to the man. Mr Grashorn calls the couple to call their dog off, which they do. The dog obeys.