LOS ANGELES _ A person shot by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies in Palmdale early Thursday was accidentally killed as he tried to stop his aggressive dog from attacking them, according to an internal sheriff's memo on the shooting.
The 17-year-old boy was struck in the chest as he tried to jump on the dog, said the memo, a copy of which was reviewed by the Los Angeles Times. A deputy who had been bitten by the animal was also struck by a bullet fragment in the shooting.
The deputies had gone to the home around 3:40 a.m. in response to a call about a loud party. As they arrived, a pit bull charged at them and bit one of the deputies in the leg, the memo said.
The teenage owner of the dog tied up the animal to prevent it from attacking again. Meanwhile, the deputies retreated from the home to call for a sergeant, who arrived and checked on the bitten deputy's injuries.
The pit bull broke free and charged at the deputies again. Two deputies shot at the pit bull "while the dog owner simultaneously tried to jump onto the dog to stop it from attacking deputy personnel," the memo said. The teen died later at Antelope Valley Hospital.
The deputy who had been bitten by the animal was struck by a bullet fragment in the ankle area, the memo said. He was treated at another local hospital and was listed in stable condition. The dog was shot but survived, the memo said.
A public statement by the Sheriff's Department did not provide details on what led to the shooting. A sheriff's spokeswoman said Thursday morning that homicide detectives are at the scene gathering information about what happened _ as is routine after shootings by deputies.
Under the department's use of force policy, deputies are allowed to fire at animals if they "reasonably believe" that they're about to be killed or be seriously injured by the animal.
