An Arlington, Texas police officer performed a welfare check on a homeless woman Thrusday afternoon. Maggie Brooks was seen lying on the ground behind a local shopping center. When the officer approached Brooks, her dog moved toward him.

That’s when he drew his pistol and fired three shots at the dog.

From the Dallas Morning News . . .

Brooks, the daughter of an Arlington fire captain, was struck once in the chest and died at 6 p.m. at Medical City Arlington Hospital, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office. The dog survived and was taken to an animal shelter. It was unclear whether it was Brooks’ dog.

The cop had only been on the streets about a month.

The officer, whose name has not been released, is 25 and has been with the department seven years, police said. He started as a detention officer, graduated from the police academy in February and was cleared for field work July 1, police said. … According to Police Chief Will Johnson, the officer had undergone eight hours of training for canine encounters, as well as mandatory firearms training.

Here’s the AP’s report . . .