Warning: This article contains content which some readers will find upsetting.
Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for an Iowa police officer to face repercussions after fatally shooting a family's pet dog.
On August 21, a family was left heartbroken after they watched their pet dog be gunned down by an officer from the Davenport Police Department.
The officer had been responding to a call regarding four aggressive dogs in the area. That's when he spotted Don Hesseltine's children playing in the yard with their dog, Myst.
Exiting his patrol car, the officer reportedly asked the family to keep their dog inside the house. That's when Myst started to run toward the officer.
Security footage - as well as body-worn camera footage from the officer - shows the moment Myst quickly ran up to the officer, barking and wagging its tail. The officer can be seen briefly holding his hand out as if to try and calm the dog, but when the dog's teeth become visible, he quickly draws his gun and opens fire in front of the family.
Myst could be heard wailing, before briefly running away from the officer and collapsing outside of the family's home. The beloved pet then begins to have a seizure before sadly passing away.
Don Hesseltine's family can be heard screaming and crying in the immediate aftermath.
Speaking to Our Quad Cities News, a grieving and angry Hesseltine said: "It wasn’t even my dog they were looking for. And your best course of action is to pull out a gun and execute my dog?"
After footage of the incident went viral on social media, the Davenport Police Department has been flooded with comments from angry residents.
In response, officials from the department have released a statement, saying: "On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at approximately 7:20PM, Davenport Police responded to the 800 block of North Pine Street in reference to a report of four dogs at large, appearing aggressive. The caller stated the dogs were attempting to get over a fence to reach their dog.
“While the officer was following-up to the call in the alley of 2100 Telegraph Road, a dog ran out of a yard in the officer’s direction. The officer is seen on the public video slowly backing up while the dog advances.
"The dog’s behavior became aggressive, resulting in the officer discharging his firearm at the dog. The dog died as a result of its injuries."
Following an internal review of the officer's actions, his response was "deemed lawful".
However, social media users have countered this argument by stating that Myst never appeared aggressive and that the dog's tail was clearly wagging in the footage.
Per KQDC, a Davenport City Council meeting ended in uproar when Hesseltine addressed the council over the incident. When his time to speak was up, he reportedly threw down the podium and was escorted out, as the crowd chanted "let him speak".
Now, a Change.org petition has been launched calling for the officer to face punishment.
The description on the page reads: "This petition seeks justice for a personal tragedy that occurred in Davenport, IA on August 21, 2024. It began as a regular day until [the officer] responded to a call in Davenport about 4 aggressive dogs causing a problem.
"Not only was he at the wrong house. Instead of professionally trying to manage the situation, he unjustly shot and killed the beloved family dog Mysty, WHILE potentially putting the children who were innocently playing in the yard in the cross fire."
"This recklessness and lack of effort to deescalate demonstrated by [the officer] is unacceptable," it goes on. "His actions have caused this Davenport family an immense amount of grief, and endangered innocent children who were present during the incident.'"
As of this writing, nearly 12,000 people have signed the petition.
Hesseltine has also launched a GoFundMe to help raise funds for counselling for his family and legal fees to "pursue justice for Myst". The page has currently raised over $5,000.
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