Attorney sues over deadly officer shooting of dog
Port Huron lawsuit filed over deadly shooting of dog
The attorney behind the lawsuit says he filed it on behalf of a concerned citizen who is seeking greater transparency in the case.
PORT HURON, Mich. (FOX 2) - A federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed challenging video released by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office showing deputies killing a dog. The suit claims the videos were so heavily redacted that it’s impossible to tell what really happened.
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The attorney behind the lawsuit says he filed it on behalf of a concerned citizen who is seeking greater transparency in the case.
The legal action, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges there was heavy and selective redaction of police videos designed to shape a narrative surrounding the highly controversial shooting of a dog in St. Clair County.
The incident happened in mid-December 2025 at St. Clair County Animal Control in Port Huron. Deputies were reportedly struggling with a dog that a family had found wandering outside in freezing weather.
FOX 2 was told the dog, which was in the back of the family’s car, began interacting with deputies after a door was opened. Video shows law enforcement attempting to restrain the animal using catch poles. The dog was later shot and killed behind the Animal Control building after one of the deputies was bitten.
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The Sheriff’s Office told FOX 2 the dog was aggressive. However, others argue the situation should have been handled differently. Many are now calling for the full, unredacted video to be released.
"The kind of important points as to whether this was justified or whether this was appropriate were all blacked out," said attorney Philip Ellison. "The whole point of our transparency laws in Michigan is so that we, the public, can review and judge whether the actions of our law enforcement officers were justified in those circumstances. We just don’t know that when the records are hidden behind excessive redactions."
Ellison added that some redactions are understandable. "When the government produces records, we expect certain things to be redacted, like Social Security numbers. Clearly, those are things the average reasonable citizen would say are fair to withhold."
"When we say protect and serve, part of service is being transparent, because we don’t pay ourselves," said retired Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. "It’s the citizens’ tax dollars. And when citizens trust their police agencies, they’re much more willing to share information, obey commands voluntarily, and comply with the law."
Godbee oversaw many police video releases during his time as Detroit’s police chief.