Police, dog owner clash over shooting of pit bull

In response to a claim by the partner of the owner of a pit bull that an officer shot and killed his dog unprovoked on Thursday, on Friday reiterated that it was an act of self-defense. The officer, police said, had been attacked by the dog and suffered a thigh injury. 

The incident occurred when officers from the DIAS motorcycle unit were dispatched to investigate complaints that two dogs were being kept on the roof of an apartment building in the Galatsi district of Athens.

The owner and one of the officers sent to the scene got into a verbal confrontation. The owner said that the dog approached the officer who shot it. The owner’s partner dismissed the claim that the pit bull attacked the officer, insisting it was in a playful mood.

The owner of the dog faces charges over the bodily harm caused to the police officer, who is also charged with killing the dog.