Los Angeles police on Friday released body camera footage of an officer killing a woman's dog in a case that sparked outrage and questions.
Jameson, a 2-year-old St. Bernard Doodle, was shot and killed by police Saturday after officers responded to a report of a woman screaming in her apartment in the 7500 block of Jordan Avenue at 8:55 p.m.
Footage of the shooting went viral and sparked outrage, showing the woman, Marie Marseille, sobbing over Jameson, who is wearing a Knicks jersey.
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Footage released by Los Angeles police on Friday shows the moments leading up to the harrowing scene.
In the footage, which lasts a few minutes and comes from two body cameras, an officer is seen approaching the door of the woman's apartment and making a statement to the LAPD. A second officer stands a little further down the hallway of the apartment complex.
Marseille opens the door and the agents see the big dog barking.
As the officers ask Marseille to put the dog away, body camera video shows the second officer draw his gun and walk away from the barking dog. He then puts his gun away after Marseille closes the door.
“God, that's a big-ass dog,” the first officer can be heard exclaiming.
“That's not going to bite me, brother,” the second officer says.
Marseille returns to the door and the officer asks him again if he put the dog away. She replies, “He's not aggressive.”
One officer said, “It's huge, you know what I mean?”
Just then, Jameson passes through Marseille and walks out the door, away from the first officer, who tells him to “leave it inside.” However, Jameson, barking, walks down the hallway toward the second officer, who draws his pistol with his right hand and fires four times.
The large puppy falls to the ground as Marseille screams, “No!”
The incident has sparked outrage and questions across the city, prompting Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell to promise a full investigation. The LAPD and Mayor Karen Bass face growing political pressure to release footage of the shooting taken by responding officers' body cameras.
The release came after LAPD chiefs and top city leaders reviewed the footage and McDonnell conducted what is known as a 72-hour review of officer action, the first step in a lengthy internal investigation process into shootings by an LAPD officer.
Amid growing protest, Bass offered a public tribute to the dog. “Every life lost to violence is a tragedy, and we know Jameson's devastating loss will be felt forever by his family.”
Bass posted on social media Friday night that he had seen the video and called it “disturbing and tragic.” He said he has called for a city review of how it prepares officers to respond in such situations, saying written policies and procedures “are not enough.”
In an interview with NBC4, the neighbor who called the police expressed remorse for making the call. She told the station that after hearing screams from Marseille's apartment, she called her but got no answer and called the police, concerned for her neighbor's well-being.
“I feel responsible for what happened,” the neighbor said, adding that the knocking on Marseille's door sounded “hostile.”
“This is not what I thought a wellness check would be like,” he said.
In the viral video after the shooting, neighbors can be heard angrily admonishing the officers for killing the dog.
The incident has raised new questions about use-of-force protocols when dealing with dogs and whether reforms are needed.
In a statement after the shooting, McDonnell acknowledged Marseille's loss.
“The loss of a pet is deeply personal. For many, a dog is not simply an animal; it is a companion, a source of comfort and a member of the family,” the statement said. “LAPD officers face unknown dangers on a daily basis, but I expect them to exercise good judgment, restraint, and respect for life whenever possible. That expectation is reflected in our training, policies, and specific guidance regarding dog encounters. All of those factors will be carefully reviewed as part of this investigation.”
A GoFundMe has raised more than $200,000 for Marsella and her son.
The family has now hired lawyers, who issued a statement Friday condemning the police response shown in the video as “completely unnecessary and deeply dangerous.”
Marseille told NBC4 his family was celebrating the Knicks' NBA Championship victory when officials showed up.
“The next thing I knew, I was on the ground,” Marseille said. “I see the officer shoot him twice. I saw it. I was there when it happened.”
In a telephone interview with The Times, her sister, Vanessa Marseille, said the family was shocked and devastated by the incident.
“We just don't know why it happened,” he said. “What's most terrifying is that those shots could have hit her or anyone. It was reckless.
“It's just tragic,” he said.
Marseille said her sister was born and raised in New York and went to California in 2014 to work. Two years ago, she said, her sister bought Jameson, the oldest of seven puppies.
He said the pet was a constant presence when he talked to his nephew.
“Every time Jeremiah is on FaceTime, he's always walking the dog,” she said. “When he takes my sister to work, Jameson is in the car, wagging his tongue.”
California, unlike Texas and Colorado, does not require canine encounter training for police officers. The LAPD issues detailed guidance in bulletin form to police officers. An attempt to require such training failed to pass state lawmakers in 2017.
LAPD Use of Force Directive No. 11 outlines protocol for encounters with dogs.
Under the department's directive written in 2023, officers should consider voice commands and various alternatives before using deadly force. The directive advises officers arriving on scene to assess whether a dog may be present and reminds them that their primary concern upon arrival is “safety.”
The directive advises officers to remember that all dogs can bite and then provides them with an evolving list of options for dealing with a “hostile” dog.
Officers can use voice commands, and if that doesn't work, options include pepper spray, a baton, a TASER or a fire extinguisher, although some are more difficult to use on a fast-moving animal, the directive says.
“A continuous reverse turning motion can deter an approaching animal,” the directive states. If necessary, the dog should be hit in the nose or throat, he adds.
Deadly force is permitted “when it is reasonable to protect the officer or others from an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.”
Officers are warned: “The size and speed of an animal can increase the chance of a missed shot and the chance of an officer or bystander being seriously injured by a bullet.”
“Officers may not use deadly force against a dog to protect property, including other animals,” the directive says.
Los Angeles County law enforcement agencies have a history of deadly incidents involving dogs.
In 2013, Hawthorne police shot a dog four times after it jumped out of a vehicle while its owner was being detained. In a video viewed more than 7 million times, the owner pleaded with officers not to shoot the dog.
In 2005, a Times investigation examining two decades of LAPD data found that one in four LAPD shootings involved dogs. Police shot more than 465 dogs, killing at least 200 and wounding at least 140, incident reports revealed. However, in the latest available year, 2024, with stricter restrictions than in the past, an officer shot an animal.
According to Los Angeles Police Department statistics, its officers have had 32 dog shootings since 2018, and the numbers reflect a downward trend from seven in 2018 to one last year.
