ANIMAL WELFARE, LAW, WORLD

Murder of Jameson: police releases video

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20.06.2026 Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released the following statement after the footage of dog Jameson murder by LA police dropped … “What I saw on the bodycam footage is disturbing and tragic. The Chief and I agreed that it was important to release the bodycam footage swiftly. While the investigation is ongoing, I am very concerned about why shots were fired and Jameson was killed. This shooting makes clear that while LAPD provides officers with written guidance on the use of force and pets, this is not enough.”

The Mayor added … “I have directed the Police Commission President and the Chief to examine the Department’s Use of Force policy on Dog Encounters to determine best practices from around the country, and use this opportunity to update the LAPD’s overall tactics, policies, and training related to the use of lethal force to increase safety for everyone – officers, Angelenos and their pets.”
The video confirms the earlier evidence of the owner, insisting the pet dog jumped out being ‘energtic’ and ‘exited’. The officer said: “‘Bro what the f* I ain’t getting bit by that bro.”

Marie Marseille told NBC Los Angeles that her family was celebrating the Knicks’ NBA Championship win when officers showed up.

“Next thing I know, he was on the ground,” Marseille said. “I see the officer shoot him twice. I did see that. I was right there when it happened.”

In a phone interview with The Times, her sister, Vanessa Marseille, said the family was shocked and devastated over the incident.
“We just don’t know why it happened,” she said. “What’s more scary is that those shots could have hit her or anyone. It was reckless.”

Marseille said her sister told her that she was closing the door when Jameson got out and was shot multiple times. Her nephew told her Jameson wasn’t barking or growling when he exited the apartment.
“It’s just tragic,” she said.

Marseille said her sister was born and raised in New York and left for California in 2014 for work. Two years ago, she said, her sister purchased Jameson.

https://x.com/RealPaulMueller/status/2067501193006309867?s=20

According to the department’s directive written in 2023, officers should consider voice commands or using pepper spray, a baton or a fire extinguisher as options before using lethal force against a “hostile dog.” The directive advises officers arriving at a scene to assess whether a dog may be present and reminds them their main concern upon arrival is “safety.”

The directive advises officers to remember all dogs can bite.

When facing a hostile dog, should voice commands and pepper spray not work, baton techniques can be employed.

“A continuous reverse spin movement can deter an approaching animal,” the directive states. If necessary, a dog should be struck in the nose or throat, it adds.

Fire extinguishers and a stun gun can also be used, per the directive, but it cautions that it is hard to strike a moving target with a stun gun.

Lethal force is allowed “when it’s reasonable to protect the officer or other person/s from an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.”

Officers are cautioned: “The size and speed of an animal can increase the potential of a missed shot and possibility of an officer or bystander being critically injured by a bullet.”

“Officers may not use lethal force against a dog to protect property including other animals,” the directive says.

Marseille denied the allegation from police that her dog charged at them.

“I don’t know if charged is the right word,” she told NBC4. “Jameson, he is a very playful dog, very happy and energetic and excited, if he barked. He has never bitten anyone.”

Ed Obayashi, a use-of-force expert and Northern California deputy, said “we need to see the body cam to understand what happened here. The department said it was an aggressive dog. But the images released so far don’t tell us what happened.”

Law enforcement in Los Angeles County has a track record of deadly incidents with dogs.

In 2013, Hawthorne police shot a dog four times after it jumped out of a vehicle as they detained its owner. In a video viewed more than 7 million times, the owner pleaded for officers not to shoot the dog.

In 2005, a Times investigation examining two decades of LAPD data found that one in four LAPD shootings targeted dogs. Police shot more than 465 dogs, killing at least 200 and wounding at least 140, incident reports revealed. However, in the latest year available, 2024, with tighter restrictions than in the past, one animal was shot by an officer.

According to LAPD department statistics, its officers have had 32 shootings with dogs since 2018, with the numbers reflecting a downward trend.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell called it “incredibly tragic”; Mayor Karen Bass deemed the video “disturbing” and ordered a policy review into tactics and less-lethal options.

Investigation ongoing into use of lethal force against a family pet.

A neighbor who called 911 for well-being check apologized; a GoFundMe for the family has raised over $200k. Activists demand full transparency and accountability of Jameson murder.

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