Mayor Karen Bass on Friday condemned the police shooting that killed a dog during a Los Angeles celebration of the New York Knicks’ championship, calling the incident “disturbing and tragic.”
The Los Angeles mayor, who is seeking re-election against fellow Democrat Councilmember Nithya Raman, addressed the controversy in a statement released to X, where she confirmed that she and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell both agreed to release the bodycam footage.
“What I saw on the bodycam footage is disturbing and tragic,” the mayor wrote. “The Chief and I agreed that it was important to release the bodycam footage swiftly. While the investigation is ongoing, I am very concerned about why shots were fired and Jameson [the dog] was killed.”
She continued: “This shooting makes clear that while LAPD provides officers with written guidance on the use of force and pets, this is not enough. I have directed the Police Commission President and the Chief to examine the Department’s Use of Force policy on Dog Encounters to determine best practices from around the country, and use this opportunity to update the LAPD’s overall tactics, policies, and training related to use of lethal force to increase safety for everyone – officers, Angelenos and their pets.”
The decision to release the footage came days after the fatal shooting of golden retriever-poodle mix Jameson went viral earlier in the week. The video in-question documents the moments before Jameson was shot by the officer, including footage of the dog barking and the responding officers – who were called for a welfare check after screaming was heard from a Canoga Park-based apartment – demanding the animal be restrained. Jameson’s owner, who has been identified as Marie Marseille, was celebrating the New York Knicks’ NBA championship win, which is why she was yelling.
After Jameson escaped from the apartment, an officer, who had previously voiced concern about being bitten, fired multiple shots at the pet.
Marseille and her family, in a statement released to ABC7 via their attorney, condemned the shooting as “completely unnecessary and profoundly dangerous.”
“Marie Marseille was alone in her apartment. She answered the door. She was cooperative. She was polite. She repeatedly attempted to reassure officers that Jameson was her dog and that he was not dangerous,” the statement noted. “Yet the shooting officer appears to have had his firearm drawn virtually from the beginning of the encounter. He had his gun drawn before Jameson emerged. He had his gun drawn while Jameson was inside the apartment. He had his gun drawn after Marie closed the door. He had his gun drawn when the door reopened. Throughout the encounter, the officer repeatedly used profanity, focused on the dog’s size, and displayed an aggressive attitude during what was supposed to be a welfare check.”
“The video raises a disturbing question: whether the decision to use deadly force had already been made before any meaningful effort was undertaken to objectively assess the situation, de-escalate the encounter, create distance, or consider alternatives,” the statement continued. “What followed was completely unnecessary and profoundly dangerous. The video appears to show Jameson as a domesticated family dog wearing a New York Knicks jersey inside his own home. The footage further appears to show that Jameson was not presenting the type of immediate threat that would justify the rapid escalation that followed. The public can watch the video and make that determination for themselves.”
The family also voiced concern that the welfare check could’ve become “a human fatality” given Marseille’s close proximity to Jameson when he was shot.
“A welfare check ended with him dead, his owner traumatized, and serious questions about the judgment and conduct of the officer who pulled the trigger,” the statement concluded. “The badge represents a duty to serve and protect. What the public sees in this video is not protection. It is escalation. It is recklessness. And it is a tragedy that never should have happened.”
Censored footage of the incident can be found here.
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