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/ CBS Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) — New surveillance video has raised questions over an incident last month involving an off-duty Chicago Police officer who shot and killed a dog in the Bridgeport neighborhood.
On Tuesday, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released two videos of the shooting and said the CPD should rethink the officer’s employment status. Chicago Police issued no citations in the incident.
CPD records show that around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 21, off-duty CPD Officer Carmen Mostek was walking her corgi east in the 500 block of West 29th Street, just west of Normal Avenue.
That was when her neighbor’s dog, Aggie—described by Officer Mostek in a 911 call and by police in incident reports as a pit bull, but referred to by the owner as a “mutt” or a “mixed-breed rescue dog”—escaped from the backyard. According to Mostek, Aggie tried to bite the corgi.
At that point, the surveillance video shows Aggie’s owner on the ground 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 believed my dog would be killed in that in a split moment if I did not intervene.”
The owner of the other dog is heard saying to the officer in the video: “You shot my dog! Why?”
The video showed that moments after Mostek fired, 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 29th and Normal. There was a dog attacking my dog and I had to shoot it, and the neighbor’s freaking out.”
In a statement released in conjunction with these videos, COPA said, “Based upon the serious nature of the incident, COPA recommends that CPD evaluate the current assignment of the officer and whether administrative duties or relief of powers is warranted during the pendency of this investigation.”
The dog’s owner filed a lawsuit earlier this month against the City of Chicago, the CPD, and the officer involved in this case. The lawsuit alleges Mostek never tried to help separate the dogs before firing.
“Mostek shot Aggie to death, without justification, at point-blank range while Aggie was in the plaintiff’s arms and plaintiff was in the line of fire,” the complaint read.
The owner of the dog on Tuesday declined our request for an interview, citing that pending litigation.
CBS 2 also wanted to know whether the officer is still active with the Chicago Police Department. However, on Tuesday, a spokesperson said they would not be issuing further statements on this case and referred all other inquiries to COPA.
Megan Hickey is a member of the 2 Investigator team, focusing on topical investigative stories.
First published on May 28, 2024 / 4:38 PM CDT
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