Deputy fatally shoots two dogs in Post Falls

POST FALLS — A Kootenai County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed two dogs that allegedly attacked him Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s office.

The deputy was reportedly attempting to serve paperwork to Post Falls resident Jerald Burgess around 8 a.m. Wednesday. Burgess owned two pit bulls, named Noble and Hammer. Police were aware of the dogs from prior contacts at the home, according to the sheriff’s office.

Police said the deputy backed away from the front door after knocking in order to “avoid a confrontation with the dogs.”

“When the homeowner opened the door, the two dogs aggressively charged the deputy, which resulted in one dog biting him on the leg,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The deputy shot the dog that bit him, according to the sheriff’s office, then shot the other dog. He was later treated at the hospital for “minor wounds” sustained from the dog bite.

But Burgess said he doesn’t believe the shooting was justified.

Burgess told The Press he was letting the dogs outside as he usually did when he saw the deputy parked across the street, getting out of his patrol vehicle. He contends that the deputy never knocked on his door.

“He grabs a hold of his gun and yells my name,” Burgess said. “When he showed that aggression, Hammer took off and went running across the street. Noble went right behind him. When Noble got there, (the deputy) kicked at him. I think that’s when Noble bit him. I saw him push the gun into my dog’s chest, pull the trigger, back up a step and shoot the other dog the same way.”

Burgess said 2-year-old Noble collapsed and died on the porch, while 3-year-old Hammer ran back into the home, crawled into Burgess’ bed and died there.

“My boys didn’t have to die like that,” he said. “That was cruel.”

Burgess said his dogs were his closest companions.

“I don’t have anybody else in my life. I come home and sit with my boys at night,” he said, his voice wavering. “And now both my boys are gone.”

The Post Falls Police Department and the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the shooting.