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**Updated 9:30 p.m. Nov. 2
Racine Police Chief Art Howell spent the afternoon Sunday listening to the 911 tapes of a Saturday stand off and talking with officers and supervisors who were on scene. He also reviewed video by neighbors of the moment when his officers shot and killed the suspect’s dog.
In an email to a citizen who contacted him about the incident, Howell promises an in-depth and “comprehensive review.”
He explained that the suspect issued threats to kill police with an armor-piercing crossbow and to release his dog against officers.
Here is part of Howell’s message:
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“On a personal level, I am saddened over the loss of a domestic pet that more than likely, had no malice against anyone. As more information is released however, members of the public will have a better understanding of nature of the dilemma officers faced as this incident unfolded.
“During this standoff, the dog owner threatened to use a body armor piercing crossbow to kill officers, and this subject threatened to use his dog as a weapon against officers as well. After several hours of dialogue with crisis negotiators, the barricaded subject ultimately made good on his threat to introduce the dog into the active standoff.
“After the dog was released, the dynamics of this encounter changed. Officers, who for over three hours were focused on peacefully resolving this crisis through dialogue, were now forced to deal with the distraction and unpredictability of having the subject’s dog moving through the scene of this active encounter at a critical time.
“Additional review is in order; however, judgement relative to the actions taken should be reserved until the matter has been thoroughly reviewed and all facts are known and considered.
“Please know that our policy is such that, all use of force incidents are reviewed internally. In the event our review process exposes misconduct, or if we find that additional training could have resulted in a better outcome, we will take appropriate action as dictated by our findings.”
Original story: A Racine man is in custody Saturday after causing a stand-off situation that ended with the man in custody and police shooting his dog.
Police scanner reports indicate that about noon Saturday a man in the 4000 block of Victory Avenue was threatening neighbors with a knife after chasing someone walking a dog. When officers arrived, the man refused to come out of the house and a perimeter was established.
The scene remained an active tactical situation for several hours. Racine Police Chief Art Howell said the man made threats against police, including shooting them with a cross bow, and those comments prompted the tactical response. Police blocked off the area and residents were advised to stay in their homes.
For reasons unknown, the man let his dog out of the house. Witnesses told Racine County Eye the dog walked toward officers but turned around to go back to the house, and that is when it was shot by police. After shooting the dog police stormed the house and took the man into custody.
Howell said he was not prepared to comment on the situation further until he spoke with his officers and supervisors on duty.
We will update this story as more details become available.