A Los Angeles police shooting outside a Canoga Park apartment Saturday night left a family devastated after officers fatally shot their two-year-old dog, Jameson, just minutes after the family finished celebrating a Knicks championship victory.
Police had responded to a call reporting a screaming woman at the residence. Officers arrived to find the family in high spirits over the basketball win. When police asked the resident to secure the dog, she briefly closed the door, then reopened it. The dog, described by its owner as "the sweetest boy in the world," exited the apartment and charged toward one of the officers, prompting the shooting, according to an LAPD statement.
Video footage from the immediate aftermath reveals the emotional toll on the family. A woman lies on the ground cradling Jameson's body, sobbing as roughly a dozen uniformed officers stand nearby. The dog was wearing a Knicks jersey in the team's blue and orange colors. Bystanders can be heard on the recording expressing anger at the decision to shoot the dog while larger crime issues go unaddressed in the area.
"The Knicks just won the championship. We were just so happy. We were just celebrating the Knicks," the woman says through tears in the video.
The incident has drawn significant public attention since the video went viral on TikTok, accumulating millions of views by Tuesday. A GoFundMe campaign launched by family member Jeremiah Garcia to cover cremation costs has raised more than $125,000, surpassing its initial $10,000 goal by more than tenfold.
"On June 13th, 2026, 10 minutes after celebrating the Knicks championship win, our dog was fatally shot right outside our home," Garcia wrote on the fundraising page. "Jameson was 2 years old, and he was taken from us too soon. Anyone who's met Jameson would tell you he is the sweetest boy in the world."
The shooting has prompted calls for greater police accountability. At a Tuesday press conference at LAPD headquarters, the Los Angeles National Action Network demanded the immediate release of body-worn camera footage from the incident and the identification of the officers involved.
Najee Ali, senior organizer for the advocacy group, said the killing was "unnecessary and unwarranted" and called for transparency. "The public deserves transparency, and the family deserves answers," Ali told reporters.
Author James Rodriguez: "A pet shot during a moment of joy exposes the thin line between police response and tragedy, and the public's right to see exactly what happened that night is non-negotiable."
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