Valdosta Police Report:
On July 1, 2018 at 7:23 pm, Valdosta Police responded to a residence located on the 1500 block of San Bernardino Way regarding a 10-year-old male child who had been attacked by a Pit Bull Dog while in his own front yard. When an officer arrived on-scene, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Personnel were called to treat the child who had multiple puncture and tear wounds to both legs. Once the officer arrived, it was determined the child was playing in the front lawn of his home when the dog approached the child in an aggressive manner and attacked the child. It was also determined the dog was running unsecure in the neighborhood and the dog was being housed by a resident in a nearby home on San Bernardino Way.
The investigating officer then responded to the residence where the owner of the dog resided. While there, the dog was found to be unsecured and running free. While talking with the resident of that home, the dog began to growl aggressively and charged the officer. The officer then backed away and fired one shot to defend himself, mortally wounding the dog.
Lowndes County Animal Control responded to the scene and filed three separate charges on the owner of the dog. A Valdosta Police Supervisor responded to the scene and internal affairs and the Chief of Police were notified after the incident. The officer had his body-worn camera activated during the incident which was reviewed by internal affairs and the Chief of Police; the video clearly confirms the details of the incident. No other injuries were reported during the incident.
The owner of the dog, Gregory Leon Williams, is charged with Restriction of Confinement, Nuisance Animal and Failure to Provide Proof of Rabies.
“We have concluded a complete review of this incident with the help of the officer’s body-camera video and witness statements. In no way did the officer do anything wrong in this case and fault resides solely on the owner of the dog who failed to adequately restrain the dog to avoid this from happening” stated Chief Brian Childress.
