According to reports from witnesses and over Twitter, MPD officers have shot and killed a dog at the Adams Morgan Day Festival at approximately 1:15 1:20 p.m. Police are currently on the scene and have cordoned off the area around the entrance to the Brass Knob. Details are still surfacing and we will update as we confirm information.
UPDATE (2:05 p.m.): According to an unnamed witness to the shooting, the incident stemmed from a scuffle between two pets, a poodle and rottweiler, in front of the Brass Knob at 2311 18th Street, NW. The respective owners of the two dogs, along with bystanders, separated and held down the two dogs. The owner of the rottweiler suffered a minor bite from his own dog. An MPD officer then ordered bystanders to release the rottweiler, lead it down the stairwell to the Brass Knob and fired a single shot. Crime scene investigators are still on the scene.
UPDATE (2:25 p.m.): A picture taken from the scene has been added. It is unclear weather the larger dog was a rottweiler or pitbull, but reports show that it did not bite anyone. An employee from the neighboring Spaghetti Garden Peyote received a small bite wound from the poodle.
UPDATE (3:30 p.m.): Soleiman Askarinam, a witness to the incident who was sitting at Spaghetti Garden, adds that at least five MPD officers responded to the dogfight. Askarinam did not see the shooting occur. Other witnesses say it was a single officer who picked up the Rottweiler, tossed it down the stairwell and fired a single shot. It is unclear whether the officer was struggling with the dog and what happened just prior to the shooting. Although MPD investigators and the dog’s body are still on scene, both owners of the two involved animals have since left.
We also have learned that the party responsible for the killed dog does not own it, but rather was taking care of it until adoption. According to witnesses, the dog was friendly and had just stopped by D.C. Council candidate Bryan Weaver’s tent.
UPDATE (6:30 p.m.): According to ANC Commissioner Mindy Moretti (1C04) the dog was a pit bull/sharpei mix, and was tan in color. This matches up with the description left by some in the comments. The dog’s handler was not available for comment after the incident, but was visibly shaken when DCist’s Dave Stroup arrived on the scene, a little after 1:40 p.m. From various accounts, it appears as though both dogs were on leashes, but the leashes tangled during the fight. At some point, the leash on the larger dog may have been removed.
On the scene reporting by DCist’s Dave Stroup.
