WARNING: Distressing content.

SHOCKING bodycam footage has captured a cop accidentally shooting dead a mum after slipping on ice while aiming at the family dog.

Burlington Police Officer Jesse Hill was responding to a disturbance in the US state of Iowa on January 6 when he found Autumn Steele in front of her house hitting her husband, Gabriel, police said.

The 34-year-old woman had spent the previous night in jail after being arrested on domestic abuse charges, according to the Des Moines Register.

Police said Hill fired his gun when the family’s German Shepherd, Sammy, jumped on his back and bit him. He slipped on ice and the bullets struck Steele in the chest while the dog was spared.

Steele’s three-year-old son witnessed the shooting.

A 12-second clip of the video from Hill’s body camera released by authorities showed he fired his gun twice without warning.

“Get your dog!” Hill yelled, as a dog growled in the background. The camera then flipped up to the sky.

The video does not show the pet attacking Hill.

Prosecutors later said the dog attack justified the shooting and Hill was cleared of any charges. He returned to work in March.

Des Moines County Attorney Amy Beavers told KBUR News: “After reviewing the complete DCI investigation, there were no criminal charges that applied to the circumstances of this case.”

However, Steele’s family have protested the decision and called for the release of the full bodycam video, footage from the cop’s squad car and 911 phone calls.

New York Daily News reports the Iowa Public Information Board has sided with the family, voting on Thursday to launch legal action against the Burlington Police Department and other agencies for the data release.

“I’m, for one, uncomfortable with law enforcement determining what should and shouldn’t be released,” Information Board member Bill Monroe, who voted in favour of the lawsuit, said.