Ocala officers justified, disciplined after shooting, killing 3 aggressive dogs, Chief says
Ocala police officers accused of firing 30 shots at dogs
Two Ocala police officers are being punished for shooting and killing three dogs. The two of them fired 30 shots at the dogs, and the chief called it excessive. It happened in January as the officers were called in response to reports that the dogs were trying to claw their way into a home.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Two Ocala police officers shot and killed three aggressive dogs early January 29th after the animals charged at them, authorities said.
What happened?
On Jan. 29, 2025, a man called 911 at 3:39 a.m. to report that he had been chased into his home by five "aggressive" animals. Officers arrived and found three dogs "aggressively barking and scratching" a patio screen trying to enter the patio where the man lived. Police said none of the dogs had collars.
At 4:18 a.m., the three dogs ran to the front of the house, where someone was out jogging. Officer Mccurdy said he yelled at the jogger to turn around. "The dogs turned and faced me," McCurdy said in his report.
He and the second officer pulled their guns out and pointed them at the dogs. Officer McCurdy said the dogs would not stop barking so he fired his gun at two of the dogs, which were shot and fell to the ground immediately, he said in his report.
The third dog was "wounded" and ran away. Officer McCurdy said he followed the dog and ended up shooting it.
The investigation:
What we know:
During the incident, officers fired a total of 30 shots. Some bullets caused secondary damage, striking houses and a car inside a garage due to ricochets.
Animal Control later took custody of the dogs. The Ocala Police Department stated that the use of deadly force was necessary to prevent harm to human life. An internal investigation determined that officers were justified in shooting at two of the dogs but found two misconduct violations in the shooting of the third dog.
Both officers were immediately placed on leave pending an internal affairs investigation, which is standard procedure.
"Runner," the brown-and-white pitbull shown in the photo, was allegedly shot and killed from behind during the incident. (Credit: Bryan Strawn)
What happens next:
Following the review, Officer John McCurdy received a 1000-hour suspension for violating the department's use-of-force policy. He was also removed from the Field Training Program as a Training Officer and received remedial training on use-of-force and how to deal with aggressive animals.
Officer Jordan Woods received a 20 hour suspension for violating the department's use-of-force policy and received remedial training on use-of-force and how to deal with aggressive animals.
The department implemented policy changes and additional training. Officials recommended the use of pepper spray as a preferred method for handling aggressive animals in the future.
What they're saying:
"Those three babies — they trusted me — and they knew that I was supposed to keep'em' safe," said the dogs' owner, Ryan Strawn.
Strawn was visibly distraught during an interview with FOX 35's Kelsie Cairns. He said he was elated to learn the officers would be disciplined.
"I screamed in front of my job for excitement — everybody looked at me like I was crazy. That was most refreshing news that we've had since we've lived in Ocala."
While the decision to act was made to prevent harm, Chief of Police Mike Balkan said the department is committed to reviewing officers' actions to ensure all policies and protocols are met.
"Once that third dog ran off it posed no further reasonable danger and therefore the remaining shots were unnecessary and potentially reckless in nature," Chief Balkan said.
He described his first reactions after reviewing the officer-worn body camera video.
"I was initially taken aback. I think like any pet owner, or reasonable person would be — its a brutal video to watch."
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The Source: The information in this article comes from the Ocala Police Department.