CHAMPAIGN - A family says a Champaign police officer shot and killed their dog on Saturday evening.
Kelsey Markou, 18, says she was a block away from her home at the corner of Crescent Drive and John Street when a pit bull attacked "Dog," her chocolate lab.
A man passing by called police to the scene, and one officer proceeded to fire multiple rounds of shots. Police did not return calls but in a press release issued Saturday, they claim Markou "no longer had control of her dog" when they arrived just before 5:30 p.m.
The family is awaiting autopsy results but believes "Dog" was killed by gunshot, not from the attack.
The pit bull, collarless at the time of the attack, suffered a grazing wound to the leg, says Champaign County Animal Control Director Stephanie Joos. On Monday, Joos said the dog was still in Animal Control's custody and remained unclaimed.
