Speakers Ask Council for Additional Animal Training Following Dog Shooting

Nearly 30 people wearing white t-shirts stating "Justice for Lexie" - an 18-month-old pit bull mix that was shot by police Nov. 22 - filled St. Clair Shores City Council chambers asking for further investigations into the incident and additional training for officers.

After hearing from a number of residents, and non-residents, Mayor Kip Walby stated that the city will look into the incident and will listen to the requests to have a third party investigate the shooting and the police department's training manuals and procedures.

"We will listen to these suggestions and we will try to make it better. We have done that in the past and we will continue do it in the future," said Walby during the meeting.

He added that council will take heed to the suggestions  to make the department, people and city "better."

"We care about St. Clair Shores. We care about out animals. We care about our children," he said. "We are here to do what is right."

Police were reportedly called for a complaint of a barking dog complaint, and according to a post on the Justice for Lexie Facebook page, after the dog had been outside for nearly four hours.

The dog - who was staying with her owner at the owner's grandfather's house - got out of the backyard in the 27000 block of Princeton, according to the post and continued to be bark to be let in. 

In a story in the Detroit Free Press, officers attempted to catch the dog but were concerned because schoolchildren would be in the area and the dog charged at them.

The dog was shot multiple times before being dragged into the animal control vehicle.

City manager Philip Ludos stated that he spoke with both the police chief  and deputy police chief who could not recall a similar incident.

“The action that was taken by the officers was not without efforts to resolve the situation in a much less aggressive manner,” he said. “Their actions were the result of an unlicensed dog that was roaming and demonstrating some aggressive behavior towards not just them, but other individuals.”

He added that officers made attempts to resolve the situation in a reasonable way, but when the dog attacked, they took actions in a "defensive" manner.

Speakers shared their displeasure with the actions of the officers, and the fact they used they fired their guns in the city.

They also disagreed with the city's assessment, and response, to the incident.

"She was exhibiting classic protective behavior by standing between her caretaker and what she considered a threat," said who wants mandatory training for officers and non-lethal, humane animal capture equipment in all patrol cars.

She also questioned why Macomb County Animal Control was never called for back-up.

"Officers don't have training in animal behavior," cou Lexie is dead, a fmilay is greiivng and many peopel are outraged.