San Francisco Cops Respond to Accidental 911 Call, Kill Family’s Dog

Zoey, the Stancil family’s pet, was shot and killed by police

SAN FRANCISCO — A police officer shot and killed a dog Sunday after responding to a child mistakenly dialing 911.

A child had been playing with a telephone and accidentally contacted emergency dispatch. Police arrived at the child’s home and encountered a dog, which they shot six times.

The dog’s owner, Jeffery Stancil, says he believes the officer’s conduct was unnecessary. Stancil’s dog, Zoey, was in the family’s back yard when police officers walked onto the property. Stancil says Zoey bit an officer when they did not back down, but believes it could have been handled differently.

“Six shots for a dog? I mean, what can you say?” said Stancil.

Madonna Stancil also takes issue with the actions of the officers. “I understand that they were doing their job … but the fact that they didn’t give us a chance to put her in safety, you know, and we did say ‘stop, we’ll get her,’ they didn’t give us the chance,” she said.

The officer who shot the dog reportedly went to the hospital to treat a dog bite to his hand.

The officers have not been charged with a crime for killing the Stancil family’s pet. The family said they are considering filing a lawsuit.