"It was crazy. I had never seen anything or anyone get shot. It was like in front of my face," Puentes said.

Because Shoaf was not home, a neighbor drove Nero to the animal clinic at Purdue North Central near Westville where the dog died.

Shoaf said an online petition asking for the officer to be terminated or resign has been signed by more than 500 people.

Aldana wonders why the officer didn't use his Taser if he felt he was in danger and there were many people, including children, playing close to where the dog was shot.

The officer had his gun pointed more toward the ground, but had any of the shots flown above of the dog someone on the porch could have been hit, Aldana said.

"He just didn't even think. Just boom, boom," Aldana said.

LaPorte police Capt. Tom Heath said Tuesday no disciplinary action has been taken against the officer, but the matter is under review.

Heath declined to make any preliminary judgements of the officer's actions, but said, "contrary to how it's been represented in social media, most of us down here do have pets just like everyone else."

"It's unfortunate you have to do things you really don't want to do. At some point you do have to defend yourself," Heath said.

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