OCALA, FL (352today.com) – A press conference was held March 12, at the Ocala Police Department (OPD) by Chief Mike Balken regarding an incident involving two officers who discharged their weapons in the shooting of three aggressive dogs.

The shooting occurred during the early morning hours on January 29, 2025, after Ocala Police received a call from a homeowner in the Bell Chase subdivision. The homeowner reported aggressive dogs chasing him into his residence. Dispatch forwarded the call to Marion County Animal Services, who, unable to contact the caller, requested a wellness check by the Ocala Police Department.

“Our officers, one a four-year veteran along with his trainee of three weeks, responded a short time later and met the caller at his front door,” said Balken. “The officers entered the home. At that time, there were three dogs at the back of the residence outside the screen porch. The dogs were observed barking aggressively, digging at the landscaping, scratching at the screen, reportedly trying to get in. The caller advised the officers prior to their arrival, he had been outside in his backyard when he heard the dogs barking. The dogs had approached him in an aggressive manner, nearly biting him before he was able to get back inside the house.”

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The officers contacted animal services, who informed them they were still 45 minutes away and requested officers stay on-site to monitor the situation.

As the dogs moved toward the front yard, officers stepped outside, continuing to monitor them. Suddenly, a jogger approached. Concerned for the jogger’s safety, one officer shouted warnings. The dogs then charged toward the officers, prompting them to fire multiple rounds, striking all three dogs. Two were incapacitated immediately in the driveway. The third dog, injured, fled. Fearing further threat, officers pursued and fired additional shots until the dog succumbed. Returning to find the other two dogs alive, an officer fired two additional rounds to euthanize them.

A total of 30 rounds were fired during the incident. No individuals were injured, but damage occurred to the homeowner’s garage door and vehicle inside the garage.

Both officers were immediately reassigned pending an internal affairs investigation, which concluded recently. The results, reviewed by a disposition panel, found serious misconduct and policy violations by both officers. Balken concurred, and disciplinary actions followed.

Officer John McCurdy, a four-year veteran, received a 100-hour suspension, removal from field training duties, and mandated retraining regarding use-of-force and aggressive animal interactions. Trainee Jordan Woods received a 20-hour suspension and similar retraining.

“It’s important to note here that the panel concluded the initial shots fired by both of our officers in front of the home were in fact justified; however, once the third dog ran off, it posed no further reasonable danger, and therefore the remaining shots were unnecessary and potentially reckless in nature,” said Balken.

The panel emphasized the department’s limited policies for canine interactions, supporting new policies mandating officers receive training on appropriate decision-making. Policy changes now strongly encourage using pepper spray instead of lethal force when dealing with aggressive animals. Practical training on aggressive animal interactions, emphasizing pepper spray, has already begun within the department.

“Unfortunately, this is a tragic event, which I believe we simply got wrong,” Balken stated. “Our actions were unreasonable. We have to take measures internally to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

However, Balken stressed the incident could have been avoided had the dogs been properly contained.

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