CANTON, Ohio (WJW) – Canton police are reviewing whether use of force was justified after an officer shot and killed a family dog.

The officer involved was arriving to a call to help break up a family fight when the incident took place, last Thursday.

Body camera shows the officer getting out of his cruiser and warning the family to take their dog inside the home.

Instead, the Cane Corso named Bella moves closer to the officer.

In the police incident report, the officer says he felt threatened by the dog in that moment and decided to fire his weapon.

Bella was struck and killed by the three shots fired.

Wanting to keep her identity private, the woman who owned Bella is speaking out. 

“Humiliation. It’s just a shame that all of this, led to that. It’s just devastating.”

She made clear, she didn’t think the officer’s actions were necessary. 

She says the family is traumatized by what happened.

They are also concerned, pointing out that several children were in the front yard when the shooting took place.

“It’s just unacceptable. You can’t be firing your gun with kids around.”

Canton police confirmed that they are reviewing this incident. 

The officer involved remains on active duty.

Canton Police Chief John Gabbard responded to this story with the following statement:

“We take the discharge of firearms by our officers very seriously.  This incident is under review by our Office of Professional Standards, as is our practice with every instance when force is used.  Unfortunately, police officers frequently have to respond to unpredictable, volatile situations and address threats of all kinds in order to preserve public safety.  I have viewed the video and find it heartbreaking.  The fact that these difficult situations are inherent in the nature of police work makes them no less devastating to everyone involved, including the officers. “