Police shoot dog; incident is under review

After a Holyoke police officer shot a dog last Friday, Aug. 2, the district attorney’s office was consulted, and a third agency was scheduled to get the information this week to begin a review of the incident.

Doug Bergstrom, chief of police at Holyoke Police Department, said he does not know how long it will take to get the results of the review.

According to a press release from HPD, at approximately 7:30 a.m. last Friday, the department was notified of three dogs running loose and being aggressive toward people in the area of the 200 block of South Coleman Avenue in Holyoke.

Sgt. Mark Werts was dispatched to the area and encountered the three dogs running in the alley and street.

Two of the dogs were aggressive toward the officer. One in particular, believed to be a pitbull mix, charged Werts several times in the street. He deployed pepper spray three times, and the pitbull continued to charge him. Werts then shot the dog.

The officer was not injured. The dog died a short time later.