WACO, Texas — The Waco Police Department is facing backlash on social media Monday night following their announcement on how they accidentally shot and killed a dog after responding to the wrong address.
According to a news release posted on Facebook, a resident called police on Saturday, June 3, at 3:17 p.m. and said her house was being burglarized and needed officers to "come now."
Dispatch noted how they also heard a male's voice in the background stating "I'm not trying to hurt you" before the call was disconnected.
Waco PD said dispatch entered "3204 N. 20th A St." into their address system, but then it reportedly autocorrected to "3204 N. 20th St.," which is the address officers responded to.
"When officers arrived at 3204 N. 20th, they saw the backdoor ajar which corroborated information received in the initial call," per the news release. "Officers announced their presence, and shortly thereafter multiple dogs came toward officers who retreated."
The news release states that one dog "acted more aggressively" and lunged at an officer twice. During the second time, that's when the officer shot the dog, identified as Finn, police said.
Officers later discovered that they responded to the wrong house, police said. Finn was then taken to the emergency vet by his owner, but he later died.
"A Waco PD Commander met the family at the clinic, offered his sympathy, and provided information regarding services provided as a result of the incident," Waco PD said.
Officers then addressed the original incident from the original call and said there were no injuries or arrests made.
"We are regretful of the outcome regarding our response that resulted in the death of Finn," Waco PD added. "We will work diligently to confirm the address entered into our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system is accurate and precise. We are engaging the CAD system manufacturer to ensure that steps are taken to prevent any similar occurrence. Additionally, dispatchers will be directed to evaluate any address that occurs on any of the streets that have an adjacent 'A' street."
A GoFundMe fundraiser was created in response to this incident. The organizer, Tori Russell, said she is friends with Finn's owners and that they are trying to raise money for an attorney.
Stay with 6 News as this story develops.
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