News Near Buckhead: DeKalb Cop Resigns After Shooting Dog

A DeKalb County police officer turned in his badge and gun on Monday after allegedly shooting a dog in the face then trying to prevent the owner from taking the wounded animal for treatment.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that former Officer David Pitts arrived at the home near Decatur in response to a false alarm, then accidentally shot Doctor, a nine-year-old German Shepherd who came around the corner and surprised the officer.

Pitts told his superiors that the dog was acting aggressively, but the dog’s owner Tim Theall said that Doctor is a mellow dog. Doctor was just out for a bathroom break before dinner, Theall said. It appears as though Pitt arrived when Doctor was behind the house, and when the dog came back towards the front he noticed Pitt, who was surprised by the sudden appearance of the dog and shot him in the face.

Once Pitts shot Doctor, he prevented Theall from trying to get the dog medical care, even blocking Theall’s driveway with his patrol car. Theall maneuvered around Pitt’s car, but was prevented from leaving the neighborhood by Pitt. The officer claimed moving the dog was against procedure in a shooting investigation and threatened to arrest Theall if he did not comply.

Pitts’ superiors arrived on the scene and let Theall take Doctor to the vet after about 30 minutes. Doctor should survive his brush with death, but the Thealls are asking for the public’s help to pay for his medical bills. Any extra money they receive will go to the ASPCA or a local no-kill shelter.

DeKalb police chief James Conroy told the AJC that Doctor is the ninth dog shot by DeKalb officers this year.