Police officer accidentally kills woman while trying to shoot dog

Officer retreated from charging dog and fired repeatedly, killing woman nearby

(Flickr user Tony Webster under a Creative Commons license)

A police officer has allegedly shot dead a woman while firing at a dog in Texas, according to a preliminary police investigation.

A group of officers was responding to a call in Arlington, near Dallas, to check a woman who had passed out on the grass on Thursday afternoon, according to a police statement.

An officer approached a woman and noticed an unrestrained dog nearby.

When the officer called out to the woman, the dog ran towards him barking.

The officer retreated from the dog running, pulled out his gun and fired repeatedly.

Police say the woman yelled after the shots were fired and it became “apparent she was injured”. Investigators believe one of the bullets fired by the police officer hit her.

She was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

The incident was captured by the officer’s body camera, but neither the victim nor the officer’s name have been released so far. Police will disclose the victim’s name after notifying the next of kin.