BATON ROUGE – A police officers' association is considering appealing an officer's suspension over a dog's shooting death recently, claiming the police department's policies are confusing and unorganized.

The Magnolia State Peace Officer's Association said it has concerns over the handling of officer Abraham Wilson's suspension. Wilson shot and killed a pit bull while investigating a robbery in early February. The association said Wilson tried numerous times to scare two pit bulls off with noises from his Taser and mace but one of the two dogs charged at him, forcing him to fire a fatal gunshot at the dog. WBRZ.com first reported the officer's suspension this week.

A report about the situation from the peace officer's association provides additional accounts of what happened. The situation unfolded on Adams Avenue where a robbery victim was hiding under a house and the aggressive dogs were moving about the area.

The officer had “no choice but to fire his weapon out of fear of receiving great bodily harm,” the organization said in its report shared with WBRZ.

After the shooting, Wilson was suspended for ten days but appealed to the civil service board and his suspension was cut down to five. Still, the association believes the punishment is unjust.

“Wilson acted in accordance to the policy and the training of the Baton Rouge Police Department regarding Use of Force, including, but not limited to, exhausting all viable options of the Force Continuum, yet he was still disciplined,” the association wrote. It continued, rules appear to be confusing and there appears to be miscommunication about new policies outlined by the mayor recently.

“The administration admitted to their lack of knowledge as well as to violating policy during [the hearing].  There should not be a double standard for administration when it comes to the rules.”

If the peace officer's association, which is not a union, appeals the suspension, it would file any paperwork in state court.

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