LAPD dog shootings raise questions about police tactics, best practices: "I don

Neveah Aguilar was 7 years old when a Los Angeles police officer opened fire on her family's dog inside their Hollywood apartment. She was just a few steps away when Kush, a pit bull, was shot in the jaw.

The investigation comes months after a family dog in Canoga Park was fatally shot by LAPD officers. For Aguilar and her mother, Norma Lopez, hearing about the incident brought back memories of what happened to Kush.

Aguilar alleged that officers tricked her mother, who only speaks Spanish, into letting them in without giving her a chance to secure Kush.

In June, LAPD officers answered a call about a woman screaming during the NBA Championship game, celebrating a victory.

Body-worn camera footage shows Jameson's owner answering the door when two officers knocked on her door. The officers asked the woman to secure Jameson, but he walked out of the apartment, barking. As Jameson moved toward the officer, he opened fire.

CBS California Investigates looked at the LAPD's Use of Force reports over the past 10 years and found the LAPD had 19 cases in which officers shot at dogs in 2016. Of those incidents, 12 dogs died. In 2015, there were 11 shootings, eight of which were fatal.

According to LAPD reports, over the past 10 years, officers have shot 67 dogs; 45 have been pit bulls, including Kush.

Salazar said his clients settled their lawsuit, but he is unable to share the specific terms.

In the case of Kush, Lopez said the police told her the dog was dead after the shooting. That wasn't true.

Kush lived for another couple of years. But Lopez and Aguilar said their once energetic and playful dog was never the same. Lopez said her daughter has had to undergo years of therapy for what she witnessed.

Photos of Kush still hang on Aguilar's bedroom wall. There's also a paw print by her bed. Her mother said she raises her children to respect police, but the now high school freshman said, "It's not that I don't trust them, but I'm still afraid of them, and I feel like they still scare me."

The department said it has not made formal changes to its 'Dog Encounters' Directive that went into place in 2023.