A golden retriever was shot dead by a police officer in Ohio and dramatic bodycam footage captured the controversial moment – as the screams of those left behind grow louder after the officer’s firing.
Footage taken on July 2 showed Lorain police officer Elliott Palmer shooting dead three-and-a-half-year-old Dixie, then leaving the dog to die on the sidewalk.
The dog ran toward the officer who responded at the scene, and although it didn’t appear aggressive, it did come at Palmer as Palmer opened fire.
This sparked outrage among witnesses to the murder, and now family members and bystanders have taken to social media to demand the officer’s job.
“Once she was shot in the street, he should have just let it go and let us get the dog and take her to where she needed treatment,” the dog’s owner, Tammie Kerns, tearfully told 3News.
“But he didn’t do that. She crawled – uselessly, helplessly – across the street. He kept shooting at her. “She tried to run to safety and after the first time he shot her three more times,” she added.
Dixie, a three-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever, was shot and killed by a police officer in Lorain, Ohio, on July 2
Lorain Police Officer Elliott Palmer shot the dog as it ran towards him
Lorain Police have launched an investigation into the incident, ensuring transparency and a thorough investigation into the circumstances.
It’s unclear if Palmer will remain on duty during the investigation. has contacted Lorain Police but officers did not respond to this report in a timely manner.
The Kerns family have threatened legal action against the police and are demanding justice for Dixie.
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“He should lose his job,” Kerns told 3News about the officer earlier this week. “He should go to jail.” He should rot. I don’t want him to shoot anyone else. He has to get off the streets. “There were innocent bystanders nearby.”
Kerns claims her dogs were released early Sunday afternoon after being startled by the July 4th fireworks.
“I cringe when I hear every firework. I had a panic attack on my porch because someone set off fireworks on the street not near me,” Kerns told 19News.
She and her daughter attempted to retrieve the dogs before Palmer stopped in front of her home on Oberlin Avenue near 8th Street. He got out of his vehicle and urged residents to get their dogs under control.
“I was like, hey, this man is going to help us stop the traffic. So if one of our dogs happened to be running down the street, it would stop them, that’s what most cops do,” her daughter added.
The encounter first made headlines when neighbors posted their own footage of the aftermath of the shooting on social media, sparking outrage and calls for the officer’s firing.
That prompted Lorain Police to release footage from Palmer’s bodycam this week.
When Palmer arrived at the scene of a reported dog bite around 1 p.m. on July 2, a dog ran up to the police officer and made a friendly gesture. The officer holds out his hand and appears to want to pet the dog.
This dog then walks back into the yard while Dixie sprints towards the cop from a nearby driveway.
The situation quickly escalated as Palmer drew his gun, tried to back away, and shot Dixie multiple times. At the time, there was no sound in the bodycam footage.
The dog collapsed in the street and tried to get up while the officer kept shooting.
Dixie was then seen dragging her hind legs as she tried to get back onto the grass from the middle of the road. At the end of a neighbor’s driveway, Dizie collapsed.
Tammie Kerns was seen walking up to Palmer and yelling at him that he just shot her dog.
Palmer then went to where Dixie is lying. The dog sat up, looked around, and wagged its tail.
Then Kerns said, “You stupid bastard.” Why did you do that? I’m suing you.’
Palmer replies, “Okay, your dog accused me.” And repeatedly tells her to come back.
Kerns claims her dogs were released early Sunday afternoon after being startled by the July 4th fireworks
Palmer drew his gun, tried to back away, and shot Dixie multiple times as the dog ran towards him
“Dixie isn’t used to screaming when she’s around people who all want to play with her or get licked or be loved like they do in labs, and Dixie didn’t approach the officer ‘ Kerns told 19News.
“She was a meter away from him and running in that direction, he was nowhere near her and she was in no way near him or attacking him as he later claimed.” “She wanted to cross the street,” added her.
“When he shot her, she was in the middle of the road by the yellow lines.”
Meanwhile, the officer’s report said three people, one of whom had a cut on his forearm, tried to catch the dogs but were unsuccessful.
In the original incident report obtained by The Chronicle-Telegram, Palmer wrote that he was patrolling the area when he saw five large, yellow dogs running across several yards.
According to the report, a dog then snapped at a woman who was trying to grab his tail, while another dog “charged” at the officer.
“Because of the totality of the circumstances, I feared for my immediate safety.” “When the dog charged at me, I drew my service pistol,” the officer wrote.
“At that point, the dog was only a few meters away from me.” I then fired my service pistol at the dog several times to stop the threat. The dog then ran to the front of my squad car and passed due to his injuries.”
“I really do not know it. He says he feared for his life, but how does he fear for his life when the dog goes in the opposite direction? Kerns previously told FOX 8.
During the incident, Tammie Kerns disagreed and yelled at Palmer that Dixie was harmless. Palmer immediately called backup after the shooting.
When the family and neighbors realized that the dog had been shot, the officers surrounded them, confronted them and used obscenities at them.
The gruesome July 2 shooting footage showed Lorain Police Officer Elliott Palmer shooting dead three-and-a-half-year-old Dixie, then leaving the dog bleeding and dying on the sidewalk
Dixie is seen struggling to get up while dragging her hind legs until she arrives at the end of a neighbor’s driveway and collapses
Owner Tammie Kerns and witnesses expressed shock and anger at the officer’s actions and claimed the shooting was unwarranted
The officer immediately calls a Lorain police sergeant for backup as the neighbors begin to band together against him over the horrific act they just witnessed.
This sergeant ordered the patrol officer to return to the police station “to extricate him from a dangerous situation as he was being targeted by local citizens,” he wrote.
Kerns and witnesses expressed shock and anger at the officer’s actions and claimed the shooting was unwarranted.
When video of the aftermath of the shooting was posted online, it sparked calls for Palmer to be fired.
The officer immediately calls a Lorain police sergeant for backup as the neighbors begin to conspire against him over the horrific act they just witnessed
After the shooting, nearly a dozen people ran toward the police officer, surrounding him and shouting profane insults
A petition calling for Palmer’s removal from the force has garnered widespread support. The petition, titled “Justice for Dixie,” had more than 3,000 signatures as of Wednesday night.
A petition calling for Palmer’s removal has garnered widespread support. The petition, titled “Justice for Dixie,” had more than 3,000 signatures as of Wednesday night.
“This dog was wagging his tail as he walked towards him,” Kaspirek told The Chronicle. “…justice will be done for this dog.” “We don’t play and we’re not afraid of anyone.”
She said Kimberly Goddard, daughter of the late Cleveland meteorologist and animal activist Dick Goddard, was involved and they wanted to “make sure this man never does anything like this to any other family.”
A memorial to Dixie after the dog was shot by a police officer in Lorain, Ohio
“He should go to jail.” He should rot. I don’t want him to shoot anyone else. He has to get off the streets. “There were innocent bystanders nearby,” said owner Tammie Kerns
She said Palmer showed no remorse in the video and the footage highlighted everything he did wrong.
The body camera footage was released “to allow the department to have complete transparency of the incident,” Acting Police Chief Michael Failing said in a statement Wednesday.
Failing said the department will “conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the use of force.”
“We know the public wants to know more about what happened, so we’re moving quickly to gather the facts,” Failing wrote. “We will provide this information as soon as we know more.”
A peaceful protest by concerned citizens of Justice for Dixie is planned for July 7 outside the Lorain Municipal Courthouse.
According to a group member, the rally is planned to “show our support for Dixie’s family and to express our call for the immediate removal of Officer Elliot Palmer from the Lorain Police Department.”