Doggycide in St. Petersburg, Florida

David Florian kneeling over Phero’s body

In which a beloved pooch meets a violent and untimely end after cops arrive to investigate an apparent domestic dispute at a neighbor’s house:

Esther Flesner saw white fur streak past her seconds before she heard the gunshots and saw her daughter's dog bleeding on the sidewalk.

Phero, the dog many in the Crescent Lake neighborhood knew and loved, was dead.

The shooting occurred when St. Petersburg police responded to an apartment house Thursday afternoon at 421 10th Ave. N after multiple 911 callers reported people yelling, officials said. At least one caller said someone had a knife. Then police heard there was a stabbing.

When officers arrived, they drew their guns, then saw what was described as a pit bull terrier charging them from the back of the house, officials said. Officer Jeremy Hayes fired three times from about 10 feet away.

"He (the dog) just barely got out and I heard BOOM BOOM on the curb," said Flesner, 87, who owns the four-unit house.

Phero died on the sidewalk.

Sadly, this appears to be only the latest in doggycide from the St. Pete police, who shot and killed seven dogs in 2011 alone.

(via @radleybalko)

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Doggycide Bingo Index

Confirmed hits:

Dead Phero

Firearm as first reaction

Total: 2/25
Few details available, so no bingo.

Tags: Phero • Saint Petersburg, FL • Esther Flesner • Debra Vachon • Jeremy Hayes • David Florian