Texas officer accidentally kills woman while shooting at dog

UPDATE:
Police say a Texas officer who fatally shot a woman while aiming at a dog that was running at him and barking had completed his training only a month before.

Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson said Friday that the 25-year-old officer had completed academy training in February and was released from supervised patrol duty on July 1.

Johnson said the officer hadn’t fired his service weapon in the line of duty before Thursday, when he shot 30-year-old Margarita Brooks in the chest. The dog, which investigators think belonged to Brooks, suffered a graze wound and has been placed in quarantine.

Footage of the shooting recorded by the officer’s body-worn camera was released Friday at the news conference where Johnson spoke. Johnson said Brooks’ family has been shown the video.

He said criminal and administrative investigations are underway.

A patrol officer accidentally shot and killed a woman when he fired repeatedly at a dog that was charging at him, authorities in the Dallas suburb of Arlington said.

The officer and other emergency workers responded Thursday to a welfare check concerning a woman who appeared to be passed out in a grassy area near a commercial district. The barking dog was unrestrained and ran toward the officer as he was calling the woman. The officer began backing away, then drew his weapon and fired at the dog as it continued to charge.

The woman yelled out after the shots were fired. She was taken to a hospital, where she died. The Tarrant County medical examiner’s office identified her as 30-year-old Margarita Victoria Brooks.

It’s not clear if prior to the shooting she was suffering a medical emergency or was under the influence of an intoxicant, Arlington police Lt. Christopher Cook said Friday.

Cook said additional information is expected to be released later Friday, including how many shots were fired by the officer and how many times Brooks was struck.

Investigators are reviewing body camera footage of the shooting.

The woman, identified as 30-year-old Margarita Victoria Brooks by the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office, died at a hospital. The dog, which investigators think belonged to Brooks, survived.

People who live and work near where the shooting occurred said they often saw Brooks walking with her boyfriend and that the couple appeared to be homeless. They said the pair always had a dog with them.

Larry Hamilton told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he lives in a nearby apartment but was homeless for several years and knew Brooks. He described her as “a good-hearted person” who always made sure the dog was fed before she was. He said the dog was small and a mix between a beagle and Labrador retriever and didn’t appear to be aggressive.

Robert Baxter, a sales manager at a nearby auto dealership, said the dog resembled a beagle and was small to medium in size.

“They typically walked down this way almost every day,” Baxter told the newspaper.

Authorities have not provided the officer’s name and Cook said he’s not sure when it will be released.