LA County Cops Fire at Pit Bull, Kill Teenager

17-year-old had been trying to restrain animal
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 23, 2017 1:57 AM CDT
LA County Cops Fire at Pit Bull, Kill Teenager
A, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy recruit draws a weapon during training.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A 17-year-old in Palmdale, Calif., was shot dead early Thursday after he tried to stop somebody else's pit bull from attacking police officers. Los Angeles County officials say Armando Garcia-Muro was hit by a "skip round" that ricocheted off the ground when deputies fired at the charging animal, the Los Angeles Times reports. Police say the animal bit deputies responding to a complaint about a loud party at around 3:40am. Armando restrained the animal and brought it to the back of the apartment complex, but he was shot when it broke free and charged at police again.

Sheriff's Capt. Christopher Bergner says it was an "extremely, extremely unfortunate incident," the AP reports. He says deputies, who fired when the dog was around 10 feet away, apparently didn't see the teenager in the darkness. The bitten deputy was also hit by a bullet but received only minor injuries. The dog's owner tells the LAT that it was off the leash when police turned up, but the animal was "well-mannered" and she finds it hard to believe it attacked deputies. Armando's mother says her son, the oldest of four siblings, was a "very loving person" who liked dogs and planned to go into construction after finishing high school. The dog was shot but survived. Police say they plan to have it euthanized. (More police shooting stories.)

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