Published in the Quad-City Times on Aug. 22, 2024 (co-byline with Anthony Watt)

A Davenport Police Department officer shot and killed a dog Wednesday evening.

Footage of the event, from two separate angles, was shared on social media on Thursday by the dog’s owner, Don Hesseltine. The police acknowledged the video and referenced the narrative provided in a news release issued Thursday afternoon.

The officer responded about 7:20 p.m. to the 800 block of North Pine Street to investigate a report of four dogs at large and appearing to act aggressive, according to the release. The person who called police said the four animals were attempting to get over the caller’s fence and reach the caller’s dog.

The officer was following up on the complaint and was in an alley in the 2100 block of Telegraph Road when a dog ran out of a yard in the officer’s direction, according to the news release.

“The dog’s behavior became aggressive, resulting in the officer discharging his firearm at the dog,” the release states. “The dog died as a result of its injuries.”

Hesseltine said the dog’s death was “uncalled for.”

The police department is investigating the encounter, the release states. The department did not name the officer, nor did it release any footage from body or vehicle cameras.

“Standard practice in these circumstances includes a department review of videos from the neighborhood if available, body worn cameras, vehicle cameras, and all other information available at the time,” the release said.

Hesseltine said the interaction began shortly after his son, the boy’s mother Brandy Russell, and the boy’s cousin returned from a back-to-school event.

The boys began riding bicycles in the alley alongside Hesseltine’s backyard with Myst, a two-year-old golden retriever and German shepherd mixed breed. That’s something they often do, Hesseltine said, without any problems.

Footage from Hesseltine’s home, facing the alley, shows a Davenport police vehicle approaching the boys.

Hesseltine wasn’t there at the time of the incident, but said the officer rolled down the window to let the boys know they had to put the dog on a leash.

After the conversation, the vehicle pulls up farther and stops at the corner of the yard. The boys drop their bikes in the alley and begin walking toward the house alongside the dog.

In a separate video, facing the yard, which Hesseltine shared just after midnight Thursday morning on Facebook and X, shows the dog barking and running toward the officer from where it had been standing by the house near Russell. There is a lawn between the officer and Myst that the dog crosses to get to him.

Russell tries to call the dog back and she and one of the two boys visible in the footage begin to follow the dog toward the officer. As Myst reaches him, the officer bends down, right arm extended toward the dog as it gets up close to him. The dog is wagging its tail.

The officer backs up a little, his hand still extended, then pulls his hand back and the dog begins barking rapidly.

The officer then moves his right hand toward his right hip. As he does so, he continues to back away. Myst follows him, barking loudly.

The officer’s right hand comes forward again, pointing at the dog. There are two audible gunshots and the dog cries out. After the gunfire, Myst runs back through the yard to the house and falls over.

In the alley-facing video, a voice says, “That’s because you let your kid out,” which Hesseltine says was yelled by the officer. The voice is not audible in the yard-facing video.

Hesseltine said that Myst did not bite the officer. The release from the department does not reference any injuries to the officer.

“The dog was barking at the officer because they’re a big scary man,” Hesseltine said. “This is a dog that gets along with everybody.”

Hesseltine said that Myst was his “best buddy.” Hesseltine’s son and his cousin would often argue over who was the dog’s proper owner, Hesseltine said. Myst loved to stick his head out of the sunroof on drives to drop the boy off at school.

Myst often played with neighborhood dogs, Hesseltine said, and only ever barked at the mailman.

“Mailmen deal with this every day,” Hesseltine said. “And they don’t carry around a gun and go around f*****g town shooting up dogs.”

When Hesseltine returned home Wednesday night “there was blood everywhere,” he said. Myst was buried later that evening.

Hesseltine said, as of Thursday afternoon, he has not heard from Davenport police, and is still frustrated over the officer’s handling of the incident. He said the officer’s decision to draw a gun was “uncalled for.”

“It’s insane,” he said. “Now, my kids are scarred for f*****g life.”