A Chattanooga police officer who shot a dog while serving a search warrant in December 2015 acted within department policy, according to an internal affairs investigation that concluded in June.
The dog's owner, Ronnie Hendley, complained to internal affairs after police officers broke down the door of a home on Murray Lake Lane to search for illegal drugs and paraphernalia, killing Hendley's dog in the process.
Officer John Patterson shot the dog, a pit bull, when he said the animal lunged at him a moment after officers used a battering ram to get into the house at about 9 p.m. on Dec. 18.
The officers had anticipated the animal and one officer was armed with a fire extinguisher to try to stop the dog without using lethal force, according to the internal affairs report.
However, the dog was too quick and was not stopped by the fire extinguisher. One officer used the fire extinguisher while Patterson simultaneously fired one shot and killed the dog, according to the report.
Police found a small amount of marijuana and other paraphernalia inside the home, but no one was inside and no one was arrested in the raid. Hendley told police he didn't live in the residence.
He claimed the officers used a bogus search warrant to enter the house, but records show the warrant was valid.
Video from the scene shows several officers at the door to the home, yelling "Police!" and "Search warrant!" The officers then smash open the door, and everyone takes a step back. The dog is seen falling forward out of the door as one gunshot is heard. The officers then continue into the home.
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