WACO, Texas (FOX 44) – On Saturday, a beloved pet was shot by the Waco Police Department due to a wrong address regarding a burglary in progress.
According to Waco PD, the address auto-corrected in the police department’s system, causing the error. Dog owner, Cassandra Page, left her back door open as usual for her five dogs to enjoy the beautiful day.
Around 3 p.m., she heard multiple mens’ voices in her backyard. Police thought they were at the right house because the backdoor was ajar as described in the in initial call.
“I got up at the same time the dogs got up, but they obviously run a lot faster. As I was walking outside, they started barking and at that same time I heard a gunshot and I heard tasing and I heard my dog screaming,” says Page.
According to Waco PD, the officers responded in good faith to the dispatched address and announced their presence shortly after multiple dogs came to the door. One dog lunged at them twice, that’s when the officer fired one round at the dog.
The owners say their ten-year-old dog, Finn, had bad hips and the event caused shock in addition to his injury. Shortly after bringing Finn to the emergency clinic, he passed.
The couple is devastated by the loss of their beloved dog, and hope real change comes from the tragedy.
“Apologies at this point are irrelevant now. Action and change. That’s the only thing that’s going to serve us right now” says owner Matt Vasquez.