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Off-Duty Secret Service Agent Allegedly Shoots Dog Dead In Brooklyn
By
Sophia Chang
Published Jan 14, 2020
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Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock
By
Sophia Chang
Published Jan 14, 2020
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An off-duty Secret Service agent was reportedly startled by a dog on a walk with its owners in Windsor Terrace and shot the animal dead at about 9:45 p.m. Monday night.
“An off duty Secret Service employee was involved in the shooting of an unrestrained and aggressive canine in Brooklyn, NY yesterday. As this is an ongoing investigation, the Secret Service will not have further comment,” a spokesperson for the Secret Service said in an emailed statement Tuesday.
The dog was wearing a leash but the Secret Service said it was "unsecured from its owner who was not present."
The agent, whose name was not released by the Secret Service, was turning the corner from East 8th Street onto Caton Place last night when he crossed paths with a man and his girlfriend walking a female Belgian Shepherd, according to the Daily News.
Last night, the Secret Service claimed the dog was "unleashed" -- in a statement obtained by the NY Post, the Secret Service claimed the agent shot an “unleashed and aggressive canine.” A Secret Service statement issued to the Daily Beast reads: "An off duty Secret Service employee was involved in the shooting of an unleashed dog in Brooklyn, NY this evening. As this is an ongoing NYPD investigation, the Secret Service will not have further comment."
A photo of the scene shows a leash extending out from under a white sheet covering the dog's body.
One witness heard a single gunshot and then yelling.
The stable master at the nearby Kensington Stables, Walker Blankenship, said he was outside when he heard the shot.
"There was a guy and a girl and another guy. A gunshot went off, just one,” Blankenship told the Daily News. "The (dog’s owner) was cursing and ranting at the other man, ‘I can’t f---ing believe you let the gun go off.’”
The off-duty agent remained at the scene and was subsequently taken to Lutheran Hospital for evaluation, according to the News.
The NYPD referred our inquiries to the Secret Service.
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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