The family of a Los Angeles woman is considering legal action after police officers shot and killed her 2-year-old dog during a welfare check, alleging that the department has still not apologized.
The incident happened on Saturday, June 13, 2026, outside an apartment complex in Canoga Park after neighbors called 911 to report a woman screaming inside the building. Officers later said they responded to a “screaming woman” call and that the woman they contacted was not in distress but was reacting to the New York Knicks’ championship-clinching victory on television.
According to the LAPD’s preliminary account, officers spoke with the resident inside the apartment and asked her to secure the dog, which was standing beside her and barking. The department says she briefly closed the door, then reopened it, and the dog exited the apartment before charging at one of the officers, prompting the shooting.
TMZ, citing law enforcement sources and a legal notice, reports that officers were sent to the building after neighbors called 911 about loud, distressed screaming coming from inside.
When officers arrived, they allegedly learned there had been no violent altercation. Instead, the noise was said to have come from a woman passionately reacting to a New York Knicks playoff game while watching TV at home.
What might have ended as a routine welfare check reportedly turned disastrous almost immediately after the door was opened.
According to attorneys representing the family, the woman’s dog got past her and entered the hallway as she spoke with police. The dog has been identified in local coverage and fundraising appeals as Jameson, a 2-year-old mixed breed.
The family says the animal was friendly, posed no danger, and had simply approached the officers out of curiosity.
They claim that even as the owner begged officers not to hurt the dog and insisted it was harmless, one officer drew a weapon and fired several shots. The dog was fatally wounded and died at the scene.
In the days since the shooting, the family has been identified as Marie Marseille and Jeremiah Garcia, and their account has continued to draw attention on local television and social media. A GoFundMe campaign created to help with cremation and memorial costs has surged well beyond its original target, raising more than $160,000 as of June 17.
Following the shooting, the family hired legal representation and signaled that it may pursue a lawsuit against both the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Their lawyers told TMZ that one of the main reasons for the threatened legal action is what they describe as the department’s response afterward.
According to the family, neither LAPD officials nor city leaders have offered a formal apology, acknowledged wrongdoing, or reached out with support after the incident.
“This was a completely avoidable tragedy born out of panic and a total lack of de-escalation training,” a representative for the family stated. “To shoot a beloved family pet within seconds of an interaction, over noise complaints stemming from a basketball game, is unacceptable. To then refuse to even look this grieving woman in the eye and say ‘we are sorry’ is a compounding cruelty.”
LAPD has said the shooting is being examined through its standard internal review process, which is initiated whenever an officer discharges a weapon.
The department’s Force Investigation Division is handling the case, and officials say body-worn camera footage and other evidence are being reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.
As of the latest reports, community members, animal welfare advocates and elected officials have called for transparency, including the release of body-cam footage and a fuller explanation of the shooting. Local coverage also noted that the family’s fundraising campaign has continued to grow as public outrage builds.
With the family prepared to take the matter to court, pressure is growing on the department to explain how a response to a noise complaint ended with a family pet being killed.