LAPD releases bodycam video showing moments before officer shoots and kills dog during Knicks celebration in Canoga Park

CANOGA PARK, LOS ANGELES () — The Los Angeles Police Department has released body camera footage of a police shooting that left a dog dead during a New York Knicks’ championship celebration in Canoga Park.

Warning: The video contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing.

The video captures the moments leading up to the shooting, including the sound of the dog barking and officers shouting at the owner to restrain the animal.

Shortly after, an officer fires multiple shots. The video shared publicly was paused immediately after the first gunshot.

Police responded Saturday evening to reports of screaming coming from a residence on Jordan Avenue. The situation ended in tragedy when officers shot and killed a golden retriever-poodle mix named Jameson.

The dog’s owner, identified as Marie, had been celebrating the Knicks’ win, according to witnesses.

The release of the footage drew attention from activists and animal advocates, who gathered outside LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles to respond to the incident and the department’s actions.

The family has since shared a statement after the video’s release, calling the video shocking.

“This was a welfare check. The 911 caller did not report violence. The 911 caller did not report a fight. The 911 caller did not report a domestic dispute. The caller repeatedly stated that they did not see anything and simply requested that someone check on Marie Marseille’s wellbeing.

Marie Marseille was alone in her apartment. She answered the door. She was cooperative. She was polite. She repeatedly attempted to reassure officers that Jameson was her dog and that he was not dangerous.

Yet the shooting officer appears to have had his firearm drawn virtually from the beginning of the encounter. He had his gun drawn before Jameson emerged. He had his gun drawn while Jameson was inside the apartment. He had his gun drawn after Marie closed the door. He had his gun drawn when the door reopened. Throughout the encounter, the officer repeatedly used profanity, focused on the dog’s size, and displayed an aggressive attitude during what was supposed to be a welfare check.

The video raises a disturbing question: whether the decision to use deadly force had already been made before any meaningful effort was undertaken to objectively assess the situation, de-escalate the encounter, create distance, or consider alternatives.

What followed was completely unnecessary and profoundly dangerous.

The video appears to show Jameson as a domesticated family dog wearing a New York Knicks jersey inside his own home. The footage further appears to show that Jameson was not presenting the type of immediate threat that would justify the rapid escalation that followed. The public can watch the video and make that determination for themselves.

Most alarming of all, Marie herself appears to have been standing in or near the officer’s line of fire when shots were discharged. We are fortunate that Marie Marseille is alive today. A welfare check could easily have become a human fatality.

The video also appears to show repeated shots being fired at Jameson, including after he had already fallen to the ground. Those images raise grave questions about necessity, proportionality, and judgment.

Jameson was not the subject of any complaint. He was not threatening the public. He was a beloved family companion inside his own home. Yet a welfare check ended with him dead, his owner traumatized, and serious questions about the judgment and conduct of the officer who pulled the trigger.

The badge represents a duty to serve and protect. What the public sees in this video is not protection. It is escalation. It is recklessness. And it is a tragedy that never should have happened.”

Neighbor who called 911 apologizes

A neighbor who called 911 during what they believed was a welfare emergency spoke out Thursday, saying they feel responsible for the dog’s death.

The neighbor, who asked not to be identified out of fear for their safety after receiving online threats, spoke with Eyewitness News exclusively and said they have struggled in the days since the incident and are apologizing publicly.

“I feel responsible for what happened,” the neighbor said. “I’m so sorry. I never wanted anything bad to happen. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

The neighbor said they were walking outside their condo building when they heard Marie screaming and tried to make contact.

“I was screaming to her balcony for a while, I called several times. I kept going, ‘Hello? Are you ok?’ And I didn’t hear a TV. She didn’t answer me. She just kept on screaming,” they said.

The neighbor added that past experiences with domestic violence influenced their decision to call police.

When officers arrived, the neighbor described what they saw and heard.

“They were very hostile and they were banging on that door. It sounded like it was with a baton or something, and they were like, ‘LAPD! Answer your door! LAPD!’ That’s not how I thought a wellness check would go,” the neighbor said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said the dog rushed toward officers and attacked them, prompting the shooting.

The neighbor said they heard the encounter unfold.

“I heard barking and they said, ‘Put your dog away!’ and barking continued after a second, and then five gun shots. Back-to-back – boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,” they said.

Video from the scene shows the dog’s owner grieving moments after the shooting.

“Oh my God! Oh my God!” she cried. “He’s such a good dog!”

The owner’s son, speaking off camera, described Jameson as energetic but not violent.

Support for the family has grown online. A GoFundMe created in Jameson’s name has raised nearly $200,000.

The neighbor said the incident has changed how they view calling law enforcement.

“I think it’s taught me not to trust LAPD, and that next time, I will probably go myself and check on my neighbor,” they said.

They also offered a direct apology to the dog’s owner.

“Marie, I’m so sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing. I never imagined something like this could happen. I feel so guilty and shameful, and I wish I could tell you this in person but I’m scared,” the neighbor said.

In a statement released through an attorney, the family said their focus remains on the circumstances surrounding the dog’s death.

“The family’s focus remains on the events that resulted in the unnecessary shooting and killing of their beloved dog,” the statement said.

“Marie and Jeremiah continue to call upon the Los Angeles Police Department to acknowledge that the use of deadly force against Jameson was unnecessary, to accept responsibility for the decisions that led to his death, and to be fully transparent regarding the investigation, its findings, and any corrective action taken.”

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell has promised a comprehensive review of the shooting.