Las Vegas family sues police after dog shot, killed
A Las Vegas family whose dog was shot and killed by a Las Vegas police officer in July sued the police department and the officer.
The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that police did not have a warrant when they entered the backyard of the home of Precilla Velasquez and Thomas Quintero while neither they nor their four children were present.
Police responding to a report of a fatal crash on the 2200 block of Cascade Street on July 27 knocked on neighbors’ doors, according to police statements at the time and body camera footage from the Metropolitan Police Department.
One of the officers entering the yard was seen in the video rounding a corner and locating the pit bull, Marley, who was heard barking for several seconds.
The officer, identified in the lawsuit as Doe Officer 1, instructed others to “get back” before seeking cover in a side alley. The dog ran toward the officers before Officer 1 fired two shots that struck and killed the dog.
The family’s lawyer, Andre Lagomarsino, told the Review-Journal in August that records from the family’s pest control service and neighbors prove Marley never caused trouble for other people it encountered.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.