Officer Robert Price Acquitted In Fatal Dog Shooting

Officer Acquitted In Fatal Dog Shooting

A Colorado cop who shot a dog four times and Tasered it was acquitted of all charges Wednesday.

Officer Robert Price, of Commerce City, was found not guilty of animal cruelty after he killed a pit bull. The verdict came down in large part due to video evidence presented to an Adams County District Court jury, 9News reported.

The cell phone video -- taken by a neighbor of dog owner Gary Branson in November of last year -- shows the Price pull out his gun and fire shots at the 3-year-old pit bull mix, named Chloe. The court found that Price fired five shots into Chloe and also shocked her with a Taser.

The dog died at the scene, CBS Denver reported.

Price, who was responding to a loose animal call at the time, was placed on paid administrative leave. He will return to the force.

Branson said the verdict was "not justice for Chloe."

"This isn't the result I would have hoped for, but we move on and we move forward," Branson said in a released statement.

The Fraternal Order of Police said Price was wrongly accused, and supported Price throughout the trial.

Police get away with killing dogs all the time. In July, an officer who shot a Rottweiler four times and killed it, was exonerated by the LAPD.

Mark Condon, an off-duty police officer in Texas, shot a boxer dog to death after he said it attacked him and his wife. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing, The Examiner reported.

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Chicago Cops Behaving Badly
Jon Burge(01 of05)
Open Image Modal
Former Chicago Police Department detective and commander Jon Burge is serving 4 1/2 years in jail for his involvement in the alleged torture of more than 200 criminal suspects between 1972 and 1991. Reports that Burge and officers working under his command coerced suspects with violence to confess to crimes prompted former Governor George Ryan to end the death penalty in Illinois. (credit:AP)
Anthony Abbate(02 of05)
Open Image Modal
Chicago Police Officer Anthony Abbate claimed he was acting defensively in a bar fight against 125-pound bartender Karolina Obrycka until video footage was uncovered that showed Abbate was the aggressor. He was found guilty of aggravated battery in 2009. (credit:AP)
The Special Operations Section(03 of05)
Open Image Modal
Several members of an elite unit of the Chicago Police Department dealing in street-level intelligence called the Special Operations Section were slapped with federal charges in September 2007 for robbery, kidnapping, home invasion and other charges that allegedly went on for years within the unit. Members of the unit were found to have stolen money and property from suspected drug offenders and innocent civilians, carrying out searches and seizures based on false evidence, and failing to report money and property confiscated from suspects. Two men stole nearly $600,000 on five separate occasions between 2004 and 2005. The unit was disbanded and replaced by the Mobile Strike Force. (credit:Getty)
Jerome Finnigan(04 of05)
Open Image Modal
Officer Jerome Finnigan a member of the Special Operations Section, took the high-crime operation even further. When investigations blew open the unit's illegal activity, Finnigan learned that one of his fellow officers was planning to testify against him in the robbery case and hired a member of a street gang to kill the officer for $5,000. Finnigan was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison. (credit:AP)
Robert Buchanan(05 of05)
Open Image Modal
Cook County Sheriff's Correctional Officer Robert Buchanan was charged with sexual assault of a 10-year-old more than 10 years after the offense allegedly took place after a raid on the Harvey Police Department found hundreds of untested rape kits. When tested, Buchanan, who was interviewed and released by police when the assault claim was filed in 1997, was found to match the DNA evidence taken from the victim. He was released on bond in late September and currently awaiting trial. (credit:Cook County State's Attorney's Office)