2014/11/02

RACINE — A SWAT team has shot a small dog as it was running away from them, sparking outrage in the small community of Racine.

It began when two neighbors got into an argument over leaves blowing on each other’s yards.

The argument escalated and one of the neighbors threatened to fight the other.

At that point it is believed that a nearby witness called the police to calm the neighbors down.

But when police arrived, the situation escalated far more than anyone could have predicted.

As the officers rolled up to the home of one of the men involved in the neighborly dispute, he ran inside and barricaded himself in.

Kim Polk, a neighbor who lives diagonally across the street from the man, alleges that he has problems drinking a lot — apparently he was drunk at the time of the dispute and brandished a machete, according to reports.

“The guy comes over to the house all the time and is real nice and polite and everything. But when he drinks — different story,” said Pirk, another neighbor.

As the man was barricaded in his house, that’s when police called for back-up.

A SWAT team arrived and engaged in a stand-off with the man.

In the video, a fully armed SWAT team can be seen huddling behind an armored vehicle in front of the man’s house with militarized fatigues and K9-units.

According to reports, the man, who may have been drunk, said that he had a “bow and arrow.”

After three hours the man was eventually taken into custody.

Unfortunately, however, a small dog was outside while the SWAT officers had their guns drawn.

In the video, the small dog can be seen literally running away from the SWAT team, posing no threat at all, when the SWAT team opened fire and shot the dog to death.

Witnesses filming the slaying of the dog can be heard screaming in shock.

The dog’s owner said her dog’s name was Angel and was a 3-year-old blue heeler.

“I just feel bad for Angel. They didn’t have to shoot the dog,” a neighbor said.