Animal lovers across the nation were outraged when the surveillance video of two dogs being shot by a police officer in Minneapolis made its way across the internet back in 2017. But now, the city has finally approved a settlement to the family who filed a lawsuit.
Officer Michael Mays was responding to a burglary alarm when he entered the backyard and confronted the canines.
Both surveillance cameras and Officer Mays’ bodycam were able to capture videos of the canines approaching him and the moment he fired his weapon. In the police report filed by Officer Mays, he claimed that the pups were growling at him as he entered their backyard in response to the alarm. But, neither camera was able to capture any audio to confirm.
There was also a bit of speculation because in the video, you can see that one of their tails is wagging. Both dogs were hit with multiple shots, despite not charging or acting in an outwardly aggressive manner. In fact, they’re both emotional support dogs, who regularly accompany their mom to a nursing home. Also, in the body cam footage, you can see that Ciroc was actively running away when the officer continued to fire.
So, as you can expect, the family sought both answers and justice for their sweet boys. Thankfully, both dogs, Ciroc and Rocko survived, but their family members were in desperate need to secure the finances to fund their medical care. That’s why a family friend decided to create a gofundme page as a way to support their hefty medical bills. Amazingly, their fundraising efforts were a wild success, and they were able to raise just shy of $37,000.
The money was then put into a secure trust fund by lawyers and could only be touched to fund Ciroc and Rocko’s surgeries and veterinary care.
At the end of the day, the alarm was accidentally tripped by a family member, and Jennifer, Ciroc and Rocko’s mom, says she had made the call to cancel any response to the accidental alarm a full 30 minutes before the officer stepped foot on her property.
Now, after five long years, the family is finally able to speak freely and put this emotional incident behind them. While Officer Mays himself was not criminally charged, Jennifer hired an attorney and filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis.
Now, the city has finally approved a $150,000 settlement for the family.
You can check out a video of the encounter below, but be warned, it can be unsettling to see.