A service dog is shot and killed after police say it charged at an Augusta animal control officer. The dog's owner is a veteran and says 'Midnite,' a German Shepherd, was his service dog.

He says Midnite didn't do anything wrong and the officer shot him for no reason, while police say the animal control officer was in fear for his life, and there was no other choice.

Some of the details on what led the officer to fatally shoot the dog doesn't match up. Police say the dog rammed the door until it opened, then charged the officer, but witnesses say the officer was the one who opened the door.

Animal control and Augusta Police came to Alan Fitzgerald's home Thursday afternoon, responding to a neighbor's complaint about Midnite.

"All of a sudden, I heard this pound pound pound on the screen door," Fitzgerald said.

"And I heard Midnite barking, obviously hes going to bark because he's guarding the house. All of a sudden then I heard shots fired and I heard my dog screaming in agony," Fitzgerald said.

The Augusta police chief says they're familiar with the dog because of past problems, and that's why an officer responded along with animal control Thursday.

"The front door was open but the glass screen door was shut," said Chief Tyler Brewer.

The chief says when animal control knocked, Midnite answered.

"The dog rushed and hit the glass of the screen door and startled the animal control officer," Brewer said.

He says when dog charged again, the door opened and Midnite rushed the officer.

"In his attempt to get away from the dog, he was backing up and backed off the porch and hit his head. The dog charged him, trying to bite him, and the officer that was there at the scene fired his weapon and killed the dog," Brewer said.

Fitzgerald's neighbor, who witnessed most of the incident, says the dog got out because she saw an officer open the door.

"He opened the door and took a step into the house, and immediately came back out because Midnite had you know, met him at the door. The next thing I know, he's sitting there kicking midnight and has his baton and is hitting Midnite," said Charmin Drake, who lives next door to Fitzgerald.

Drake says she saw part of the incident through her kitchen window.

Fitzgerald is a veteran, and says Midnite is a service dog he had for PTSD - something after he developed after several military deployments.

"Whenever I was having some sort of episode of oncoming anxiety, he knew what to do. He'd come up and nudge me or do something silly. He'd turn over on his back and give that little smile, you know, that dogs give. I'm just going to miss all of that," Fitzgerald said.

The police chief says he doesn't believe there was any officer wrongdoing at this point.

"The animal control officer felt in fear for his life," Brewer said. These officers feel horrible for having to do that."

Brewer also says there was another witness on scene who saw the entire incident from his truck, and that witness' story corroborates with what police say happened.

Fitzgerald says the previous incident with Midnite - the dog bit his teenage nephew unprovoked at El Dorado lake last summer, and the teen had to get stitches, but was okay.

He says he hopes there will be consequences for the officer who shot his dog, and says he's considering legal action.

Fitzgerald says he served in the Army from 1987-1990, and 2005-2010, and was deployed for Operation Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Augusta police confirm that the dog was a certified service dog trained at Valley Center's Family Dog Training and Behavioral Center.