Driver kills dog in crashed car before police fatally shoot him, NJ officials say
A driver shot and killed a dog in his crashed car before state police opened fire, shooting and killing him, the New Jersey attorney general’s office announced.
Now, the office is investigating the matter after police were called to a “motor vehicle incident” where a car was stopped with its front end in a ditch at about 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 7 in Knowlton Township, according to a news release.
When officers tried to communicate with the man, whose name is being withheld by authorities, they watched as he “fired a weapon from within the vehicle and shot the dog.”
Police opened fire in return and the driver was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania where he was pronounced dead at approximately 2:30 a.m.
The canine was confirmed dead to McClatchy News by Peter Aseltine, a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, which declined to comment further.
New Jersey state police referred questions from McClatchy News to the attorney general’s office, citing the ongoing investigation.
The attorney general’s office investigates any death “that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity,” the news release said.
It added no further information will be released at the time.
A potential motive for the dog’s killing was not mentioned by authorities or whether the animal was the driver’s.
Knowlton is about 70 miles west of New York City.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 1:10 PM with the headline "Driver kills dog in crashed car before police fatally shoot him, NJ officials say."
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