Youngstown officer cleared of wrongdoing in shooting East Side pit bull

YOUNGSTOWN — Police have determined that a city officer who shot and killed a pit bull on the East Side in late November was acting in an appropriate manner to protect himself and his canine partner.

An investigative report issued today by Lt. Brian Butler details the internal affairs department’s findings in the investigation into the shooting involving Officer Michael Anderson and the dog belonging to 26-year-old James Phillips of Mariner Avenue.

Butler said the department conducted a detailed investigation into the shooting, speaking with multiple witnesses, police officers and Dave Nelson, deputy dog warden.

“It is my opinion that Officer Anderson had a reasonable belief that the dog posed an immediate threat of serious physical to himself and/or his canine partner. It appears that Officer Anderson acted within reason when he made the decision to discharge his service pistol. ... Deadly force was a necessary response to the perceived threat,” Butler concluded in the letter.

For the complete story, read Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.