Police Officer Cleared in 2014 Shooting of Dog

A Fairfax County police officer was recently cleared of wrongdoing in an incident last fall in which he shot a pit bull terrier.

The county Police Department’s criminal investigation concluded there was “no basis for criminal liability” on the part of MPO Damien Cichocki, an 18-year veteran, according to a police statement. He fired his service weapon on Sept. 16 when he was confronted by the dog, “which charged him in an aggressive manner,” the statement said.

The dog was wounded and treated for its injuries, according to a police report of the incident.

It began at about 9:15 p.m. on Sept. 16, when a 20-year old man was sitting in a parked car with several other individuals in the 11500 block of Fairfax Station Road, the police said. Someone in the car displayed a handgun and took money and property from the victim.

The victim got out of the car, and the suspects drove away. The victim then contacted police. There were no injuries, according to the police report.

Following investigative leads, police officers located a suspect in this robbery at a house in the 4100 block of Morrisons Way, off Route 29 just west of Fairfax City. The suspect was contacted by phone and he came outside to surrender.

While the officers placed the suspect in custody, the dog exited the house and charged them. Cichocki, one of the officers, then shot the dog, the police said.

After completing the arrest, the officers were able to contain the wounded dog and transport it to a local veterinarian’s clinic.