Sheriff's Office Say Ziggy's Owner Is Not Being Honest
ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - There are two very different stories about what happened in the minutes before Ziggy the dog was shot and killed by an Adams County deputy earlier this week.
It's still an active investigation and on Friday the sheriff wanted to get out their side of the story in a very detailed press conference. They provided evidence photos. Their main point was that Ziggy's owner isn't telling the truth.
The alarm went off at 5384 Tennyson Street, but Sheriff Douglas Darr admits his deputies went to another, smaller office on the property.
"Let's just tell it like it is. The building here, where the incident happened, is not 5384 Tennyson Street," Darr said.
He also addressed a statement by Jeff Fisher, Ziggy's owner.
"I'm on the ground hysterical, and the police officer says, 'You need to calm down, you can get a new dog,' " Fisher told CBS4.
"After some of the investigation has been completed, we've discovered that a deputy admits he made a comment like that," Darr said.
But the sheriff says many other parts of Fisher's story aren't true, and that Fisher has actually changed his story. Their investigation shows there was never any forced entry. The dog was larger than Fisher said, about 55 pounds, not 30. And after the dog came out, it was barking and growling. His deputy even moved back about 25 feet.
"As the dog was moving toward him, he kicked the dog. It didn't deter the dog, the dog continued to come. The deputy fired two rounds, one hitting the dog," Darr said.
The sheriff stressed that it's an active investigation, and regardless of what happens, it may spur changes.
"We'll be working with our training unit to determine what steps we take next. This is not something we want to go through a second time," he said.
The deputy has been reassigned.
Fisher had no comment, however one of his lawyers says they're glad the department is looking into it. So far, no charges have been filed.
