COPA investigating police officer who fatally shot pit bull held by neighbor in Bridgeport
Video released Tuesday shows an off-duty Chicago police officer shooting and killing her neighbor’s dog at point-blank range as the neighbor held his dog last month in Bridgeport.
On the morning of April 21, Officer Carmen Mostek was walking her corgi on a leash when her 68-year-old neighbor’s pit bull mixed-breed slipped out the front door and got into a skirmish with the corgi at 29th Street and Normal Avenue, according to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and a federal lawsuit filed by the neighbor against the officer.
Video shows Mostek reaching for her firearm and not attempting to break the dogs apart as her neighbor, Kent Maynard, runs to separate the dogs. Maynard pulls his dog off the corgi, then falls to the ground while holding his dog as Mostek fires one shot, fatally striking Maynard’s dog.
Mostek’s corgi was not injured in the incident. She is seen running home after the shooting.
COPA is asking the police department to strip Mostek of her policing powers, noting in its report that Maynard’s head was “inches away” from the gunshot.
“This action raises concerns about Officer Mostek’s ability to make sound, risk-averse decisions concerning the use of deadly force as a last resort,” COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten wrote. “Her decision-making in situations involving force could potentially endanger herself, members of the public, and other CPD officers by exposing them to unnecessary risks and harm.”
Maynard can be heard on the video screaming, “You shot my dog!” and “She could’ve [expletive] shot me!” after the shooting.
A police report contradicts the incident shown on video, stating that Mostek “attempted to get the pit bull off of her dog … with negative results,” and that Maynard “attempted to help with negative results,” leading Mostek to fire her weapon.
In an interview with police, Mostek said Maynard’s dog “tried to kill” her dog, so she had to shoot, according to the COPA report.
Chicago police did not comment on the case or Mostek’s employment status, referring questions to COPA.
The lawsuit also alleges a police cover-up, saying responding officers failed to interview Maynard or any witnesses, and instead only interviewed Mostek. The police report, however, states that Maynard refused to give officers his information.
Maynard collected information from witnesses and contacted COPA investigators about the shooting, according to the lawsuit.
In the days following the shooting, neighbors sent an outpouring of condolences to Maynard and created a memorial on a sidewalk that consisted of his dog’s collar, dog toys, a photo, flowers and candles, according to the lawsuit, which also names the city and the Chicago Police Department as defendants.
“We are sorry for the loss of your beloved pet,” one note read. “We loved to see her with you! She will be missed.”
The memorial was dismantled within two days, and many of the items were found in a garbage can behind Mostek’s apartment. Community members created a second memorial, but that also was taken down and its items were found in the same garbage can, the lawsuit states.
A week after the shooting, Maynard’s landlord informed him that he had two weeks to move out of his apartment based on “defamatory statements” made by Mostek, the lawsuit claims.
A hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for Aug. 6.
