Heartrending footage of tasered homeless man kissing and cuddling his dogs who were later shot dead by police
11 May 2023, 14:14 | Updated: 11 May 2023, 15:57
A heartbreaking video has emerged of an east London man who was tasered by police cuddling his dogs that were later shot dead by officers in the same incident.
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Officers shot the dogs after being called to a report of a woman being attacked by a dog at about 5pm on Sunday in Limehouse.
They were dispatched to Commercial Road "where the aggressive behaviour of two dogs was of considerable concern and posed a significant threat to them".
Shocking footage shows the dogs being shot by the police by Regent's Canal. Officers are shown holding off their owner Louie Turnbull, who shouts and pleads at them as he holds the two animals by a canal in Tower Hamlets.
The dogs bark during the confrontation before one is shot dead by an officer.
Mr Turnbull was tased by police, and was later arrested and charged with dangerous dogs offences.
But the new footage appears to show another side to the dangerous dogs narrative.
The video shows Mr Turnbull hugging and kissing them as they sit calmly on a Circle Line Tube train.
A fundraiser for Mr Turnbull says the killing was "barbaric" and claims that the dogs were under control.
The page's creator, named only as Ezel, said: "Yes, these dogs are barking and reacting to the police, but any normal dog would do the same when being approached by multiple armed, vocal people in uniform, surrounding them in such a threatening manner."
The Met said the animals were "destroyed" because they posed a "significant threat to police officers".
In one clip, a distressed witness can be heard shouting "why would you shoot the dog?"
The Met said the incident is being reviewed by its Directorate of Professional Standards.
A woman who saw the shooting told The Mirror: "It didn't seem proportionate. It is beyond belief.
"It was so shocking. I didn't realise it was a proper gun until the dogs were just lying completely out on the ground. There was blood coming out of them.
"I've never seen anything like that. You hear of these things happening in America but not here. Whatever had happened, it's not an excuse for it to end like that.
"Some of the other neighbours were shouting 'it's disgusting' and 'we're not in America'."
You can donate to the fundraiser for Mr Turnbull here.
