'It was horrific': Family heartbroken after puppy shot by Brockton police officer

BROCKTON — A family of five on Hermon Street is reeling after a Brockton police officer shot and killed their puppy, 1-year-old Leia. 

"She was a friendly, awesome dog," her owner, Kevin Cordero, 24, said. "She was like my daughter." 

According to the family member who was at home when the incident happened on Thursday, Sept. 15, Jennifer Wentworth, the police officer on the scene — Officer David Santos — was there for a different reason altogether. 

"He announced he was here because one of our commercial trucks was 'in violation' of parking signs on the street," Wentworth said.

"But, first of all, there are no posted street signs on this street and secondly, all of our cars and trucks are registered under our names and insured which he verified when he was here," she continued. 

So, what happened?

Wentworth said Leia was sitting on the porch when an "unmarked police vehicle" pulled in next to their gravel driveway.

"When I saw him pull in, I waited at our door for a few minutes waiting for him to get out," she said. "When he finally did get out, Leia being the friendly puppy she was, waddled over to sniff and greet him." 

Leia was on her way back to Wentworth — who was only a few feet away — when Santos pulled out his firearm, Wentworth said.

"I was shocked. I said, 'Please don't shoot, please don't shoot her,' but he went ahead and shot the dog via execution," she said. 

"The bullet killed her immediately. It went in through her skull and came out through her nose," she said, choking back tears, recounting the incident. "It was horrific." 

According to a statement from the Brockton Police Department, "the dog ran toward the police officer shortly before 10 a.m., which is what led to the officer discharging his firearm to protect from injury." 

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"He told me it was protocol to shoot the dog to protect himself," Wentworth said. 

Per Animal Legal Defense Fund, a North American animal law advocacy organization, police officers resort to shooting companion dogs for a variety of reasons, including perceived threat, an unleashed dog and poor planning on the officer's part. 

As a result, the fund advises dog owners to keep a close eye on their pups when any visitors, especially police, arrive at home and for police officers to turn to "non-lethal alternatives or to receive police training on how to encounter dogs." 

In a 2012 article in Police magazine, a U.S. Department of Justice official called: "fatal police vs. dogs encounters a nationwide 'epidemic,'" and estimated that 25 to 30 pet dogs are killed each day by law enforcement officers.

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Cordero's mom, Angela Cordero, said Leia was tiny and posed no threat.

"She was 11 inches off the ground. I don't believe there's a way she was a threat to the officer — she was a micro-bully," she said. 

"What the [Brockton police] did was wrong, and they know what they did was wrong," she continued. 

"I am heartbroken and I just want justice for my baby," the younger Cordero, who also lives at the same home, said. 

According to the family, the police have not yet provided any information regarding the incident, despite many requests. 

"No matter the reason, blood was still shed and it's on Officer Santos' hands," Wentworth said. 

While the police investigation is ongoing, The Enterprise has filed a public records request with the department to receive a copy of the incident report.

Staff writer Namu Sampath can be reached at nsampath@enterprisenews.com, or you can follow her on Twitter @namusampath. Thank you, subscribers. You make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Brockton Enterprise.