Owner of dog shot by Davenport police officer who had to leave council meeting

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – Hours after Davenport police released bodycam video showing an officer shooting a dog, the dog’s owner was ejected from a city council meeting after knocking over the lectern.

Don Hesseltine was at the meeting to confront council members about the shooting of his dog, Myst.

Early Wednesday afternoon, Davenport police said they had completed their investigation.

Police said the video supported the officer’s statement that he was “seriously afraid.”

At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Mike Matson issued a statement expressing the city’s condolences to the family.

The council showed still images of the dog approaching the officer.

After Hesseltine went before the city council to speak, the city shut down the livestream.

TV6 was present at the meeting and saw Hesseltine give an emotional speech in which he said he did not feel safe working for Davenport Police. After his time was up, he angrily kicked the lectern off the table and was escorted out by police officers.

The city has adjourned the meeting.

Outside City Hall, Councilwoman Jazmin Newton spoke with Hesseltine, sometimes bringing tears to her eyes.

Here is a video of Hesseltine leaving the meeting followed by angry supporters.

After Hesseltine left the meeting, TV6 was able to speak to him.

WARNING: VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED WHEN VIEWING VIDEO OF A DOG BEING SHOT BY A BODY CAMERA:

The shooting sparked widespread outrage among the population and came to light on social media.

It happened on August 21 near Telegraph Road and Oak Street in Davenport.

According to the official;

The dog charged me at full speed, barking aggressively. I heard the adult female say “Oh no.” I began to back away and extended my left hand in hopes that the dog would detect my scent and back away from me. The pitch of the dog’s barking changed to a threatening bark. The dog continued to bark at me, baring its teeth. I noticed saliva flowing from the dog’s mouth. The dog lunged at me several times, snapping its teeth to bite me. I dodged the dog several times as it lunged at me, gritting its teeth. This filled me with fear of being seriously injured. I drew my service weapon and continued to back away. As I backed away, the dog lunged at me and attempted to bite me. I fired my weapon twice, hitting the dog.

The incident was recorded on the dog owner’s surveillance video.

“I’m not against the cops, but I’m absolutely pissed and angry and mad at the guy who shot my dog ​​and scarred my damn kids for life,” said the owner, Don Hesseltine. “It’s not fair.”

Myst was the Hesseltines’ family dog. He was 2 and loved to play in the alley behind their house with the neighborhood boys.

According to the family, a Davenport police officer told the boys to take the dog away. When Myst was led to the house, the animal ran at the officer. Myst can be heard growling at the officer.

The city’s statement said: “In this case, the Davenport Police Officer expressed a sincere fear that he could be seriously injured, and we believe the officer’s body-worn camera supports his statements.”

In the Hesseltine footage, the officer can be seen drawing his weapon and shooting the dog twice.

In Hesseltine’s video, Myst is seen running home and dying a few steps from the back porch.

“It doesn’t make sense to me that your first choice when you have a barking dog that might snap at your feet is to pull out your gun and execute it on the spot,” Hesseltine told TV6 Investigates the day after the shooting.

Hesseltine is a veteran who served in Afghanistan and said the dog helped him cope with his problems.

“You have other options in your tool belt,” he said. “You know, you have your mace, you have your baton, you have your Taser. My 7-year-old son says, ‘Dad, why didn’t the cop Taser him instead?'”

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