Split Verdict in K9 Shooting Case
Jurors convict Gary man of killing a police dog but not of shooting at a police officer.
by Staff
July 10, 2024
Despite finding the suspect guilty of killing a police dog, the jury acquitted him for shooting at a police officer.
Credit:
IMAGE: Pexels, Katrin Bolovtsova
In a split verdict, jurors found a Gary, Indiana, man guilty of killing a police dog but not guilty of shooting at a police officer.
Jurors acquitted Spencer Patterson of attempted murder after he was charged with shooting at Gary Police Sgt. Angel Lozano, reported a Yahoo! News article.
Jurors found Patterson guilty of using a deadly weapon to commit battery, resisting law enforcement twice, and striking a law enforcement animal once, the report noted.
According to the article, the court set his sentencing for July 12.
During the trial, Deputy Prosecutors Michelle Jatkiewicz and Adam Martin testified Patterson was evading arrest, killed Lozano's K-9 dog Falco, and fired at an officer, the report noted.
Patterson's lawyer, John Cantrell, affirmed Patterson shot the dog because he was biting him.
Despite this, Cantrell asserted there was no evidence, such as bullet casings or holes, showing Patterson shot at the officer, the article said.
The dog served eight years with the Gary Police Department, with over 1,000 deployments, apprehending suspects and seizing drugs, Gary Police Chief Anthony Titus told Yahoo! News.
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