Police officer shoots two pit bulls after attack in West Seattle

A Seattle police officer shot two pit bulls Tuesday night in West Seattle, killing one and wounding the other after the dogs attacked a neighbor and became aggressive toward the officer.

The officer responded to a call after 8 p.m., and found the neighbor suffering from bites to his hand and arm, police said. The man had been walking his dog on a leash when he was attacked, according to a police report.

The officer located the pit bulls in the 8800 block of 24th Avenue Southwest "roaming the yard and being aggressive towards neighbors," the report said. When the dogs turned on the officer, he fired at them.

The dead dog was released to its owner and the wounded animal was removed by Animal Control. He was taken to the vet to be treated for a bullet that went through his leg and is recuperating, said Don Jordan, director of the Seattle Animal Shelter.

There was no identification on the dogs, Jordan said. Police are investigating whether there has been a history of complaints.

It's unclear if the injured dog will be released back to his owner, said police spokeswoman Reneé Witt.

More than half of the dogs at the shelter are pit bulls or pit-bull mixes, and about 30 percent of the dog-bite cases animal-control officers investigate involve the breed.

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com. Information from the Seattle Times archive was used in this story.