Residents react to El Paso dog attack video involving police

New details and video emerged Monday of a south El Paso dog attack that resulted in police shooting a pair of dogs.

Officers responded to a report of dogs attacking two men last week in the 2100 block of Cypress, which is just down the street from Bowie High School.

The men were doing construction work in the area on Friday when they were attacked and one of them was bitten, police said.

Luis Carreon lives in the neighborhood, and viewed footage of the incident online. He said he agrees with the officers actions.

“Well the cops were in danger because you don’t know if the dog has like a virus or something like that,” Carreon told ABC-7.

In a statement issued Monday, police said the officers who arrived at the scene found the dogs loose on the street and unsuccessfully attempted to coax them with treats.

After several attempts to control the animals, “both dogs attacked the officers who attempted to fend them off using a baton and tasers.

The dogs were shot after they lunged at and bit an officer,” the statement said. The injured officer was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.

Justin Mendoza said he saw the incident unfold, and said officers used “self defense.”

“He (the dog) went up to him (officer) and started biting the officer,” Mendoza said. “That’s when the officer shot him.”

In a video provided to ABC-7 by a witness, you can see and hear officers fire three rounds at the dogs — which were reported to be pit bulls.

One of the dogs died at the scene and the other has now been euthanized; police said neither dog was chipped or tagged and the owners have not been identified.

Carreon said he has seen the dogs, both of whom he describes to be around 1-year-old, wandering to-and-from a nearby apartment complex.

“I’ve always heard them bark from there,” Mendoza said, pointing to a home in close proximity on the 2100 block of Cyprus. “That’s right where I see them all the time.”

Comments about the story posted on the KVIA Facebook page shared different reactions about the incident.

Viewer Annie Gardy said owners should be held responsible.

“This is so sad, she wrote.”I am sorry for the man and police officers that were bitten. The dogs that lost their lives due to irresponsible people who think it’s cool to have pit bulls. Please El Paso, take care of your dogs.”

While others, like Kenneth Duran, came to the defense of the two dogs.

“It’s not like the dogs had a gun or weapon,” he wrote.

The EPPD Internal Affairs unit is looking into the incident, which is standard practice whenever officers discharge their weapons.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px ‘Helvetica Neue’}p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px ‘Helvetica Neue’; min-height: 14.0px}