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Deputy Who Allegedly Shot, Killed Ziggy The Dog Involved In Previous Shooting

ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The Adams County deputy sheriff who allegedly shot and killed a dog Monday night has been involved in a previous fatal shooting.

Multiple law enforcement sources have identified the deputy as 31-year-old Wilfred A. Europe III.

The Adams County Sheriff's Department has said it is investigating the shooting. A department spokesman did not respond to an inquiry Wednesday from CBS4.

The dog owner, Jeff Fisher, says Adams County deputies were responding to an alarm Monday night but mistakenly ended up at his business. He said a deputy fired three shots and killed his dog Ziggy as the dog was running away from the officer.

Ziggy
Ziggy (credit: Diana Schiele)

Multiple sources told CBS4 the deputy who shot the dog was Europe. Deputy Europe shot and killed a 40-year-old man last February as the man reached for a gun during a traffic stop. It later turned out the gun Don Cambron was reaching for on the floor of the car was a pellet gun. A critical incident team cleared Europe of any wrongdoing in that fatal shooting, saying Europe believed he and his fellow officers faced a life-threatening circumstance. The district attorney ruled no charges would be filed against Europe.

Ziggy and Jeff Fisher
Ziggy and Jeff Fisher (credit: Diana Schiele)

Court records also show Europe has had dog problems of his own. In August of 2003, he was cited in Denver and found guilty of a leash law violation. In 2004, Europe was cited for three dog violations, including failure to license an animal, but court records show the charges were dismissed.

CBS4 attempted to contact Europe by phone and email but he did not respond to the messages.

On Europe's Facebook page, he has posted a picture of a sign that reads, "No Trespassing - Violators Will Be Shot, Survivors Will Be Shot Again."

Dog Shot Europe Facebook Sign
A photo posted to Wilfred Europe's Facebook page (credit: Facebook)

- Written by Brian Maass for CBSDenver.com

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