“Justice for Enzo”. It is the desperate appeal following the dramatic death of a dog who was electrocuted twice by the police, “even when he did not show aggressive behaviour”, the owners specify. The chilling episode happened in California, in the city of Lodi, in the county of San Joaquin. Enzo’s owners, Aline Galeno and Anna Márquez, said their pet accidentally ran away from their home and was stopped by police half a mile later.
When the police found Enzo, a two-year-old dog, one of the officers decided to use his stun gun, even though the animal has never shown aggressive behavior, according to videos shared on social media by several witnesses. After being electrocuted twice, he was dragged down the street with a stun gun. He was taken to an animal control van, where he died. Traces of blood remained on the asphalt, which passers-by took back, asking the officers why they used the taser with that intensity against the animal.
The event shocked the community and resulted in several protests. The Lodi police station justified the fact by underlining that it was a dangerous animal: “Our animal services officers and LPD (Los Angeles Police Department) officers were responding to what was reported as an aggressive dog and a threat to public safety,” they commented, adding that the department had received a report of “a dog that had chased a family with small children and tried to bite them.”
“We understand the public outcry, but we would like to remind everyone that this is only a small part of the overall incident,” they said from the police post, assuring that the matter was being investigated. Comments in favor of Enzo rained down on social media: “How can you kill a harmless dog? It’s just cruelty”, one of the comments.
