Hometown Cop Accused of Shooting Dog Is Fired

The part-time police officer accused of shooting a loose dog in Hometown on Friday has been terminated.

Hometown Police Chief Charles Forsyth issued a statement on Monday afternoon stating that an independent investigation of the incident will be conducted by the Illinois State Police.

The state police routinely review cases where police officers discharge their service weapons. Apollo, a shepherd-mix belonging to the Scialabba-Echlin family in the 8700 block of South Beck Place was shot by the officer around 2:20 p.m. Friday.

According to family members, Nicole Echlin and her 6-year-old daughter tried to chase Apollo down. A neighbor described the year-old dog as being playful as his owners tried to coax him home.

Echlin told Patch on Sunday that she didn’t know who placed the 911 call reporting a loose dog. She said that when she went back home with her daughter after looking for Apollo, three Hometown police squads were parked in front her house and the dog was on their front lawn.

The officer reportedly fired one shot hitting the dog in the forehead in front of Echlin and her young daughter. A garage sale was also taking place on the same residential block when the shooting occurred. Some neighbors came outside after noticing police activity on the street and more people came out of their homes after hearing the gunshot, witnesses told Patch.

The dog died the next day at Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge.

The Hometown police chief released a written statement Monday afternoon after spending the weekend gathering evidence and witness statements.

“On July 25, 2014, police dispatch received a call (recorded call on file) from the dog owners home that their dog, Apollo, a 16-month-old shepherd/pit mix was loose and requested police to watch out for the dog. The officer located the dog in the area and following it back to its home. The officer reports while attempting to coax the dog back into the house the dog turned, growled and approached him in threatening manner. The officer advised he withdrew his service weapon and fired one shot striking the dog. Although the officer may have been justified under the Illinois Use of Force statute by deadline force, I have made the decision to terminate that officer[‘s] employment with the Hometown Police Department. In addition, all reports and witness statements will be forwarded to the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Unit.”

Hometown employs one full-time police chief and part-time patrol officers. The community is less than one-square mile in geography.

Mayor Kevin Casey said that some of the town’s part-time officers are employed by other police agencies. He said the number of part-time officers varies.

“We followed protocol,” Casey said of the police officer’s termination. “We knew what we were going to do. We followed the legal processes for releasing a policeman.”

Apollo’s story quickly went viral on Facebook. A Facebook page set up for the dog had garnered over 9,400 likes by Monday evening. A planned demonstration in front of the Hometown Police Department on August 3 has been canceled in the wake of the officer’s termination.