A Sedalia police officer was injured and a civilian’s dog was killed as local law enforcement responded to a report of a shooter Monday morning in Sedalia.
Just after 11 a.m. Monday, a call came into the Pettis County Joint Communications Center reporting an active shooter situation. Members of the Sedalia Police Department and the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to a location near Bothwell Regional Health Center.
“Dispatch received a third-party call saying there was an active shooter going on (in the 1200 block of South Washington Avenue),” Sedalia Police Cmdr. David Woolery told the Democrat. “There wasn’t a lot of information. Officers responded to the house and set up a protective perimeter around the residence.”
Because it was an active shooter call, the officers took up positions outside the home and called for those inside to come out.
“We were able to make contact with the people inside the house,” Woolery said, “and asked them to step outside.”
Unfortunately, two dogs bolted past the residents.
“As the people stepped outside, they had two large-breed dogs that ran out of the house and attacked one of the officers that was in the street,” Woolery said.
The embattled officer made the decision to use deadly force to end the confrontation.
“Both dogs bit the officer and the officer ended up having to shoot one of the dogs to stop the attack,” Woolery said.
The large dog lay dead in the street until it was collected by Sedalia Animal Control. The other dog was taken by animal control to be quarantined.
The officer was treated for multiple bite injuries.
The shooting will be investigated by the SPD internally, as no human was shot.
An investigation determined there was not an active shooter incident, but evidence found at the scene confirmed there was a shooting at the home. No one from the home was arrested and the original shooting incident is still under investigation.
Police won’t say if a 2:27 a.m. police report of a vandalized vehicle in front of the home is a related incident.
