A Brooklyn woman whose beloved dog was gunned down by cops claims she was nearly shot herself during the March incident.
Laura Stephen said she was just three feet away from her “life partner,” a Catahoula mix named Ziggy, and trying to leash him when he was killed. She alleges that the officer fired without warning and falsely claimed the dog had charged him.
The dog was simply responding to her call after she had briefly let him off leash, and wasn’t even facing the officer when he was shot, according to a complaint she filed against the city and the officer in federal court in Brooklyn.
The dog lay bleeding in the snow for 90 minutes before police helped Stephen take him to a vet, she charged.
Stephen is seeking unspecified damages and a court order requiring police to undergo training on how to deal with dogs. The city Law Department said it would review the complaint.