Video shows Chicago police officer shooting man’s dog; COPA has questions

CHICAGO (CBS) – New surveillance video has raised questions about an incident last month involving an off-duty Chicago police officer who shot and killed a dog in a Bridgeport neighborhood.

On Tuesday, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released two videos of the shooting and said CPD should reconsider the officer’s employment status. Chicago police have not released any information about the incident.

CPD records show that at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 21, off-duty CPD Officer Carmen Mostek was walking her corgi east on the 500 block of West 29th Street, west of Normal Avenue.

That’s when her neighbor’s dog, Aggie – described by Officer Mostek in the 911 call and by police in accident reports as a pit bull, but described by the owner as a “mongrel” or “mixed rescue dog” – escaped from the yard. According to Mostek, Aggie tried to bite the corgi.

At this point, surveillance footage shows Aggie’s owner lying on the ground and trying to separate the dogs.

Then, according to the video, Mostek shot the mixed-breed dog at very close range while Aggie was still in her owner’s arms.

According to the tactical response report, Officer Mostek said: “I was convinced my dog ​​would die in a split second if I didn’t intervene.”

In the recording, the owner of the second dog can be heard telling the officer: “You shot my dog! Why?”

The recording shows that moments after Mostek’s shot, the corgi and Mostek ran away.

In a 911 call after the incident, Mostek said: “Hi, I’m an off-duty PO. I’m at 29 and normal. “My dog ​​attacked my dog ​​and I had to shoot him and the neighbor got mad.”

In a statement released regarding the videos, COPA said: “Due to the serious nature of the incident, COPA recommends that CPD evaluate the officer’s current assignment and whether administrative duties or delegation of authority to the officer are warranted while this investigation is ongoing.”

The dog’s owner filed a lawsuit earlier this month against the city of Chicago, CPD and the officer involved. The lawsuit alleges that Mostek never tried to separate the dogs before firing the shot.

“Mostek shot Aggie without justification, at close range, while Aggie was in plaintiff’s arms and plaintiff was in the line of fire,” the complaint reads.

The dog’s owner declined our request for an interview on Tuesday, citing the ongoing court proceedings.

CBS 2 also wanted to know if the officer was still cooperating with Chicago police. However, on Tuesday, the spokesman said he would not be making any further statements on the matter and referred all other inquiries to COPA.