HOMETOWN, Ill., July 28 (UPI) -- One dog is dead and another in a veterinary hospital after both domesticated house pets were needlessly shot by police officers in front of their owners, in separate incidents in Chicago and Georgia.
On Friday afternoon, 1-year-old shepherd mix Apollo escaped from his suburban home, prompting his owners to call the police. Police arrived as the dog returned and the Hometown, Ill. family helpless watched as Apollo was shot.
"We were in the lawn and the cop already had his gun out," owner Nicole Echlin told NBC Chicago.
"I tried to call him in the house and he just stood there staring and I guess he showed his teeth and the cop just shot him, right in front of me and my 6-year-old daughter."
"The dog was on the floor shot but the dog was still moving," described neighbor Nicco Torres. "It was moving its legs like it was trying to run but it was laying down."
Apollo died as Echlin's daughter screamed in horror.
The terrifying incident comes on the heels of another incident of cop-on-pet violence, as a German Shepherd in DeKalb County, Ga. is recovering after police responding to a false alarm emergency call shot the animal in the throat.
According to Tim Theall, an officer shot 9-year-old Doctor then physically prevented Theall from seeking medical attention for the dog.
"The dog was still alive, clearly bleeding like crazy and the police officer blocked my exit," Theall told NBC Atlanta. "Finally he convinced me that I would be thrown in jail if I didn't just stay where I was."
On their GoFundMe page raising money for Doctor's medical expenses, Theall's wife describes the police obstruction in greater detail.
"He even followed us in the police car and blocked us from leaving our neighborhood. He said we couldn't leave due to procedure. Second cop arrived 20 minutes later and we found out that procedure was just to take pictures of the bleeding dog."
