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Olean police fatally shoot dog

The incident was recorded on cell phone video.

OLEAN, NY - There is outrage in Olean, Cattaragus County on the decision police officers took last Friday to fatally shoot a dog. The incident was recorded on cell phone video.

"Olean police department and DEC going after a dog on that front porch," said Don Blocher, who went to Facebook live, to record police encountering the dog.

Because the camera isn't zoomed in, you don't see anything happen on that front porch, but you will hear something.

One gunshot round fired.

"Oh my God, that dog wasn't being mean or aggressive, that dog wasn't harming nobody that's ridiculous, can you believe that they just shot a dog?" Blocher said.

He spoke to 2 On Your Side Monday.

"I was completely appalled they shot that dog," he said.

Blocher says he lives near the home on East Hensley Street and the dog, which he says was a pitbull, was not tied up.

"He had obviously, he had gotten loose, but he wasn't doing anything. All he was doing on that front porch was laying down by door," he said.

We requested to speak to Olean Police, but the department denied our request. Instead the department, issued a statement on Facebook

PRESS RELEASEOn Friday, the 15th of June, at 10:10 am, the City of Olean Police Department received a call to assist...

Posted by City of Olean, NY Police Department on Monday, June 18, 2018

saying officers went to the home to assist the Cattaraugus County SPCA. And while it was on the porch, the dog was "very aggressive." Both the SPCA and Department of Environmental Conservation were unable to capture the dog with catch poles. And, police say they couldn't get a good angle to taze the dog. It wasn't until the dog left the porch, that police say they were unable to control it, and decided to put the dog down.

The department's chief says every attempt was made to catch the dog safely.

And, that this dog has been violent in the past -- biting a dog once and its owner.

Blocher still has questions.

"Why didn't they shut the neighborhood down if this dog was supposedly vicious?" Blocher asked.

Because the department hasn't responded to our questions, we've filed a Freedom of Information request to get records of dog shootings by Olean police, and the department's policy on dog encounters and when to use lethal force.

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