A celebration of the New York Knicks’ NBA championship ended in tragedy for a Canoga Park woman this weekend after police officers fatally shot her dog, sparking public outrage.
A video circulating on social media shows a woman sobbing in the hallway of an apartment complex, hugging her dog, who was wearing a New York Knicks T-shirt, as six L.A. police officers stood by.
“The Knicks just won a championship, we were so happy,” she yells out, petting her dog.
Shortly after, the video shows her yelling out the name Jeremiah. Her family said she was yelling out the name of her son, who was on the phone in a video chat with her when the shooting happened.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a written statement that the shooting occurred Saturday shortly before 9 p.m. in the 7500 block of Jordan Avenue.
Police said officers responded to a call about a “screaming woman” and were directed to an apartment unit.
“The officers contacted the resident in the apartment unit; while speaking with the resident, a large dog was by her side barking at the officers,” the statement read. “The officers asked her to secure the dog, and the resident closed her door momentarily. She re-opened the door, and the dog exited the apartment.”
LAPD said officers shot the dog when it charged at one of them.
In the video, neighbors can be heard angrily admonishing police officers for killing the dog while the woman, identified as Marie Marseille, held the animal, crying.
Marseille could not immediately be reached for comment.
In a phone interview with The Times, the dog owner’s sister, Vanessa Marseille, said the family was shocked and devastated over the shooting death of the dog, Jameson.
“We just don’t know why it happened,” she said. “What’s more scary is that those shots could have hit her or anyone. It was reckless.”
Marseille said her sister told her that she was closing the door when Jameson got out and was shot multiple times.
“It’s just tragic,” she said.
Marseille said her sister was born and raised in New York and left for California in 2014 for work.
Two years ago, she said, her sister purchased Jameson.
“He was the oldest of seven puppies,” Vanessa said, recalling. “He’s quiet and energetic.”
Vanessa said the dog was always with her sister or nephew.
“Every time on FaceTime with Jeremiah, he’s always walking the dog,” she said. “When he takes my sister to work, Jameson is in the car, wagging his tongue.”
At home, she said, her sister and Jameson had their own routine.
“Before he eats his food, they pray together,” she said. “That was her second son.”
The Los Angeles Police Department said no officers were hurt in the incident, and the Force Investigation Division is investigating the shooting.