Hamden police: Man shot his own dog to protect kids

HAMDEN - A man told police he shot his own pit bull Sunday in a town park because he thought the canine was going to attack three children.

Capt. Ronald Smith said the officers responded to the area of Brook Street and Wintergreen Avenue on the report of “shots fired.”

The investigation revealed that the man was walking his dog off-leash in the nearby park.

A Hamden resident, who was accompanied by three children, entered the park with a dog that was on a leash. The other man’s off-lease dog, a pit bull, attacked the dog, causing serious injuries.

Smith said the man acknowledged that he thought his dog might also attack the children.

“He subsequently ‘pulled his legally licensed .22 handgun’ and shot his dog, killing it.”

The investigation is continuing, Smith said.