From the officer's police report

COEUR d'ALENE - Officer Dave Kelley's incident report, released Friday, sheds light on the Coeur d'Alene policeman's mindset the day he shot and killed a dog that was inside a van parked at Java on Sherman.

In the report, Kelley wrote that he was familiar with reports of a white van possibly trying to entice children in the area. When he and Officer Jason Weidebush approached the van, he could see the driver's side window was partially open.

"All of the windows had a dark tint and I was not able to see inside," Kelley wrote. "I could not see any movement from inside the vehicle."

Kelley wrote that his height did not allow him to "peer over the open driver's window to see inside of the van." He then decided to walk around to the front of the van "in hopes of seeing inside the vehicle."

"I was concerned that if the van was in fact occupied with a possible child enticing suspect, then I wanted to have the element of surprise, so I chose not to knock on the side of the van," Kelley wrote.

Kelley also decided to draw his service weapon, he wrote, since he would be exposing himself even more when walking to the front of the van.

"I was at the driver's side door/window, when suddenly I saw a black dog's head and neck lunge through the open window," Kelley wrote. "The dog was aggressively barking and growling, and its mouth was within inches of my face. I had the split second thought that this dog is going to bite me, and bite me immediately."

Kelley added that he was also unsure whether or not the dog, Craig Jones' black Labrador, Arfee, could fit through what he called a "large opening in the window."

"I was scared, and in the immediate defense of great bodily injury I fired one round from my handgun," Kelley wrote. "The dog instantly retreated back into the van, and seemed as if it went to the rear of the van."

Arfee was later located in the back of the van, deceased.