Story and Photos by Scott Schaefer

Tuesday afternoon (Mar. 2nd) around 2pm, a potential domestic disturbance 9-1-1 call in Burien turned into the shooting death of a Pit Bull at an apartment near the intersection of 4th Ave SW and SW 155th.

According to a King County Sheriff’s officer on the scene, the Pit Bull escaped from its apartment when its owner, who was unrelated to the original disturbance call, heard some commotion. The dog then allegedly “charged” a cop, who shot it in self-defense. The officer (or possibly another officer) then had to “euthanize” the injured dog by shooting it again, possibly numerous times, according to witness accounts.

The dog’s body was covered in a yellow tarp when we arrived, as Animal Control officers and police continued to investigate the scene.

A neighbor who witnessed the attack told us that he felt the Pit Bull had endangered and scared other residents and children before.

UPDATE 3/3/10 Noon: We just received a response from Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer, who said:

There is an ongoing investigation of this case so I will need to be somewhat brief in my response.

I can tell you the officer was not bitten.

Dog attacks happen occasionally and like any life/safety issue, the Officers are trained to respond to the level of danger using necessary force.

Some of the other questions may be answered in the course of the investigation.

- Chief K

Here are photos we took on the scene shortly after it happened (WARNING: one pic includes visible dog blood):

The deceased Pit Bull's body lies under a yellow tarp.

At least four Burien Police cars and two Animal Control units were on the scene.

Blood from the shot Pit Bull was still visible in the apartment driveway.

As if wondering what had happened, this dog stuck its head out the window of a car as it passed the scene.

The 16-year old Burien girl who was accused of using her pit bull Snaps “like a weapon” against two women in SeaTac on June 21st was sentenced to 14 months in a juvenile detention center Thursday morning (Oct. 22nd).

The suspect, who is not being named because she is underage, had trained her pit bull to attack, according to charging papers (read our June 22nd report here). She plead guilty last month to second-degree assault, third-degree assault and being a minor in possession of alcohol.

Thursday she apologized in court in front of the victims, saying she needed treatment for anger management and substance abuse.

Court documents (view/download PDF here) allege that the female suspect and a group of three White Center boys were found abusing the animal on June 21st before the two women were attacked by the dog. One, a 63-year old woman, was assaulted by the girl before being bit on the thigh and hand by the pit bull.

Another female victim, 41, was attacked by the dog while the girl assaulted her, punching her in the face and knocking her to the ground, according to King County sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart. She was severely mauled on both arms and required surgery at Harborview Medical Center.

Prosecutors did not file charges against the three boys.

As we previously reported, “Snaps,” the pit bull was seized by King County Animal Care and Control, and at one point was close to being euthanized, but was released in September and is now living peacefully at the Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks.

Here’s a Before and After pic of “Snaps” showing his current disposition at his new home: