A Birmingham man is upset after his dog, Buddy, was killed Saturday night by officers.

Conflicting accounts were going around early this week from police and neighbors about an incident that occurred around 10:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1900 block of Bowers Street. Buddy, the 5-year-old Labrador mix that was killed, belonged to Birmingham resident Terry Boyle, who said he's now working with an animal rights lawyer.

"It doesn't make sense why you would shoot him," said Joey Spino, a friend of Boyle's who helped put together fliers and a Facebook page about Buddy's death. "And this is Birmingham. It's the land of surburban house pets." However, Cmdr. Terry Kiernan said there was no wrongdoing on the part of the officers, saying the situation called for the officers to defend themselves against an aggressive animal.

According to police reports, two officers on patrol found Buddy on the corner of Eton and Bowers Street Saturday night. Buddy was a few houses down from his own house and immediately ran home when officers approached him, reports said. Police tried knocking on the door and calling Boyle's phone number but received no response. Police said that meanwhile, two neighbors came over, telling the police "not to trust the dog." One of them said this wasn't the first time Buddy had jumped his fence, noting Buddy had once fought with her dog, the report said.

At that point, Buddy began acting aggressively and growling and after hearing the neighbor's complaint, Kiernan said the officers felt liable leaving the dog unattended and began trying to return Buddy to his yard.

According to police reports, the officers retrieved noose poles from their cars, which are used to corral and control dogs. They tried approaching Buddy but said he continued growling and acting aggressive. Another neighbor tried to help lure Buddy into his yard with dog treats, but reports say it didn't work.

At that point, Kiernan said one of the officers noticed the backyard gate — located at the side of the house — was locked and tried unlocking it using the noose pole. As the gate began to open, the officer said Buddy chased him around the house and continued growling at him. The pole slipped at that point, the officer said, and the gate started to close. As he stepped toward the gate, the officer said Buddy lunged at him. With the officer pinned between the house and the fence, he shot twice at Buddy, fatally wounding him.