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Case dismissed after police shot Waco couple’s dog

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Case dismissed after police shot Waco couple’s dog

An intermediate state appeals court acknowledged the “tragic loss” of the shooting of a Waco couple’s Labrador retriever by a Waco police officer last year, but ruled that the city of Waco was exempt from liability in the case.

Waco’s 10th State Court of Appeals on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit filed by Cassandra Page and Matthew Vasquez, reversing a ruling by Judge Jim Meyer of Waco’s 170th State District Court, who denied the city’s motion to dismiss on grounds of jurisdictional immunity.

The nine-page decision, written by 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Justice Tom Gray and joined by judges Matt Johnson and Steven Smith, prohibits Page and Vasquez from refiling the lawsuit.

Event It occurred on June 3, 2023, after officers on a call of a burglary in progress were dispatched to an address on North 20th Street rather than the corresponding address one block away on North 20th A Street where the call was made. At the time, police said the department’s dispatch system “autocorrected” the address to exclude the letter A.

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Responding officers saw an open back door and entered the backyard of the home on North 20th Street, police reported at the time; where several dogs, including Page and Vasquez’s Labrador, Finn, ran toward them through the house.

Officers’ body camera footage was released shortly after The incident showed officers entering the backyard with their guns drawn. Police have previously said the open back door was consistent with information they received from the 911 call. The video shows Finn jumping towards one of the officers twice, and the moment the officer fires, Page runs out of the house in surprise.

Page and Vasquez took Finn to the emergency clinic, but the injuries proved fatal.







Waco police shoot dog (copy)

Matt Vasquez and Cassandra Page sit on the porch of their Waco home with their dogs Hannah, Mae, Lilly and Jake in June 2023.


Matt Kyle, Tribune-Herald file photo


Couple retained attorney Bradrick CollinsHe publicly argued that Finn’s actions were protective rather than aggressive and questioned the officer’s decision to use deadly force. Collins has previously highlighted the emotional distress experienced by her clients and Finn’s role as a beloved pet and part of their family.

Government immunity under Texas law protects municipalities and their representatives from legal action when performing official duties, unless a statutory exception applies.

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