A woman has been shot dead by a police officer who attempted to gun down a dog that was charging at him.

The officer had been called to check on the wellbeing of the woman, named as Margarita "Maggie" Victoria Brooks, who appeared to be lying unconscious in a grassy area behind a Walmart supermarket in Arlington, Texas.

The dog, believed to belong to Ms Brooks, ran towards the police officer as he called out her name.

He fired a number of shots while backing away and at least one bullet hit Ms Brooks.

Image: The incident happened near a supermarket in Arlington

The 30-year-old was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.


It is not known if Ms Brooks was suffering from a medical emergency or if she was under the influence of either drink or drugs, Arlington police said.

Local media reports say Ms Brooks was homeless and she, her boyfriend and her dog were often spotted near the shopping centre.

The dog, which is believed to have survived the shooting, was "well taken care of" according to those who regularly saw Ms Brooks in the area.

The identity of the officer has not yet been revealed, but investigators are reviewing his bodycam footage in an attempt to establish what happened.

The shooting comes days after the release of bodycam footage showing the 2016 death of Tony Timpa, who was forcefully restrained by police 20 miles away in Dallas.

Mr Timpa had phoned the police asking for help, saying he was afraid. He told the 911 attendant that he had schizophrenia and depression, that he was off his prescribed medication and had taken drugs.

Officers put Mr Timpa in the controversial "prone position", a restraining method which places the subject's face into the ground and binds their legs and arms.

Mr Timpa shouted several times "You're gonna kill me."

Footage shows the officers laughing at Mr Timpa, mocking him as he lied still after his breathing had stopped.

Although Mr Timpa's death was ruled as a homicide, the officers avoided being charged in relation to his death and returned to active service in April this year.