Video Released: Dog's Shooting Ends Parade On Tragic Note

TAMPA, FL — Saturday's Gasparilla festivities ended on a tragic note Saturday when a Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed a dog that attacked the mounted horse units along the parade route.

Click here to see just-released surveillance video.

According to the sheriff's office, the 70-pound dog believed to be a pit bull terrier broke free of its leash and charged a member of the Tampa Police Mounted Unit that was patrolling the parade route in front of the 345 Bayshore Condominiums around 6:30 p.m., just as the parade passed the exit ramp for Tampa General Hospital.

The sheriff's office said the dog belonged to a homeless man and had been tied by its leash to a temporary barricade gate separating the parade from the spectators. There was a large crowd at the location at the time. The sheriff's office said the dog broke free from its tether when it spotted the horses and tried to bite the hind leg of a horse in the Tampa Police Mounted Unit.

A deputy attempted to use a taser on the dog but was unable to make contact without risking injury to the horse.

After attempting to bite the horse in the Tampa Police Mounted Unit, the sheriff's office said the dog retreated and then attacked again, this time turning its attention to Romeo, a 16-year-old horse and member of the sheriff's mounted unit for 14 years.

Deputies said the dog was attacking the horse a third time, biting the protective covering on one of the horse's front legs, when Deputy Crystal McClelland, a member of the mounted unit who was riding another horse, shot the dog once in the center of the back. The dog died at the scene. The horses were not seriously injured.

McClelland is a 26-year veteran of the sheriff's office and a member of the mounted unit for 18 years. This is the first time she's fired her weapon.

Following the shooting, the dog's owner began to threaten deputies and was taken into custody under the Baker Act.

“It is never an easy decision for a deputy to deploy their weapons, especially for a member of our mounted unit, deputies who have dedicated their lives to working with animals, to use force against one,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “While it is extremely upsetting that a dog lost its life in this incident, there could have been many more injuries and potential losses had the horse been badly injured, not only to the horse itself, but also to the deputy riding him, the crowd of people walking nearby on Bayshore Boulevard and the other horses who could have reacted due to their herd mentality. We are extremely thankful that this incident did not end with any more casualties.”

In the aftermath of the shooting, however, several witnesses came forward to say the shooting was unnecessary. They said the dog was frightened by the horses and claimed the sheriff's deputy didn't give the owner a chance to get his dog under control before shooting.

Robert Patel, a witness to the shooting, urged Chronister to launch an investigation.

"Please don't write this off as a homeless man's pit bull attacking police horses," he pleaded on the sheriff's Facebook page. "Please investigate the minutes leading up to this tragic incident. This could have been avoided."

Patel said he wasn't allowed to give a statement to deputies although they did take his name and phone number.

"Too bad," he said. "The whole incident could've been avoided if the mounted patrol didn't advance to the point where the dog was frightened by this thundering herd. If the officers walking in front saw the dog tied to the fence, they should have halted and given the man enough time to untie his dog and proceed down the street. I support law enforcement and I'm glad nobody was injured, but, again, this could've been avoided."

In response to the criticism, the sheriff's office released a video from a surveillance camera on Bayshore Boulevard showing the attack, "confirming statements made by mounted unit deputies and witnesses regarding the shooting of an animal following Gasparilla on Saturday night."

The surveillance video, which has been enhanced to provide a more clear view, shows a pit bull charging at law enforcement horses multiple times on Bayshore Boulevard. The dog can be seen jumping up, attempting to bite one of the horses in its sheath. At one point the dog successfully bit a horse on its lower leg where a protective covering was located.

"For the safety of the horses, their riders and the crowd of pedestrians, a deputy ultimately fires one shot, hitting the dog to end the attack. The dog died from its injuries," said the sheriff's office in a press release.

In all, there were 21 arrests during Saturday's Gasparilla festivities: one for grand theft, one for burglary, two for battery, one for improper display of a firearm, one for resisting arrest without violence and 15 for boating under the influence.

Additionally, two missing people were reunited with their families.

Tampa Fire Rescue was dispatched to 88 calls for service during Gasparilla. Paramedics transported 36 people to local hospitals, including a float crew member whose foot was run over by a float. Two of those patients were transported by fire boats that were on the water as part of the flotilla. There were no trauma alerts.