Police: Cops Shoot Dog Dead, Accidentally Wound 2 Men In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two men were wounded and a dog was killed in a police-involved shooting in Queens on Wednesday morning.
The men appear to have been shot accidentally.
Police sources told CBS2 that there was a landlord-tenant dispute around 10 a.m. in Ozone Park.
As 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported, a tenant in a building on Gotham Road was angry that his landlord was moving his stuff out and confronted the landlord around the corner at Rockaway Boulevard and 128th Street.
"The guy who lives in the house, the landlord wanted to get him out and he went about his own business to take his stuff out of the house without letting him know or giving him any court papers or anything," said another tenant, Antoine.
Two men, one armed with a hammer and the other armed with two pit bulls, chased the tenant, police said.
One of the dogs caught the man first, cops said. The dog was attacking the tenant when officers arrived, according to police.
"It appears that the dogs were attacking one of the people involved in the dispute and then the dogs turned and started attacking our officers," said Chief of Department Jim O'Neil said.
Police fired six shots, killing one dog and grazing the other, authorities said. One man, believed to be the fleeing tenant, was struck in the leg by a police bullet, cops said. Another man, one of the alleged attackers, was shot in the wrist, police said.
Both men were taken to Jamaica Hospital, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported. They're both expected to survive.
"To me they're not really bad dogs. The guy who owns the dogs, he tried to use them in an aggressive way but they're not really aggressive dogs," Antoine said.
The third man has been taken into custody, police said.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said the NYPD is upgrading its resources to handle situations like this differently.
"...Give officers more options not having to shoot their weapons, we'll increase number of tasers in the department," Bratton said. "We'll also be equipping all members of department -- the pepper spray is currently the least potent."