A family dog was allegedly shot
and killed in front of a 6-year-old girl by a police officer in southwest
suburban Hometown Friday afternoon.
The dog's owners said their
one-year-old German Shepherd mix, named Apollo, had run out the front door of
their house on the 8700 block of Beck Place around 2:20 p.m. and had returned
to the front lawn when police arrived.
"I walked over and I tried
to call him inside. The police officer had his gun out already," said
Nicole Echlin, one of the dog's owners. Her 6-year-old daughter walked with
her.
"He started showing his
teeth — that's when the officer shot him," said Echlin, 27. "I didn't
know that was going to happen."
Echlin then grabbed her
daughter, who had fallen to the ground crying, and rushed her inside.
"That's going to be in her
head probably forever," Echlin said.
Hometown police said the incident
was under investigation and that information about what happened would be
available on Monday."In reference to the tragic incident that occurred on
Beck, it would be too early for me to make any statement without reviewing all
the facts," Hometown Police Chief Charles Forsyth said in a statement on
the department's Facebook page Saturday afternoon.
"I can assure the people
of Hometown that a full investigation of the incident will be conducted."
The dog was taken to the Animal
Welfare League in Chicago Ridge, where he died Saturday morning, said Echlin's
sister Kristy Scialabba, who was at work during the incident.
"I'm heartbroken. That was
my best friend. It was also my niece's best friend (and she is)
traumatized," said Scialabba, 23. "It should have never happened and
I just want justice."
Scialabba said police knew the
dog had gotten out a few times prior to Friday, but there was no record of him
harming anyone. On Friday, the dog stood his ground when the officer pointed
the gun at him, Echlin said.
"(The police) haven't
given us any reason. They haven't apologized. They haven't done anything,"
Scialabba said. "They're basically just keeping everything to
themselves."
Scialabba has created a
Facebook page "Justice for Apollo" and is planning a rally outside
the police department next Sunday.
"We're going to try to get
our questions answered as to why this happened," she said.
