By Anthony G. Attrino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on December 08, 2016 at 8:45 AM, updated December 08, 2016 at 11:51 AM
WYCKOFF – A township man has filed a lawsuit against a police officer who shot and killed his dog during a botched burglary investigation last year.
Goran Vukobratovic claims in court papers he suffered “great pain, shock and mental anguish” after Wyckoff Police Officer Kyle Ferreira fatally wounded a German shepherd named Otto belonging to him and his family.
The officer, who was cleared of wrongdoing, showed up at the Vukobratovic home to investigate a burglary about 3:40 p.m. on April 29, 2015. However, the officer showed up at the wrong home, an investigation later revealed.
Police audio recordings showed a dispatcher told Ferreira to go to 621 Lawlins Road, the correct location of a recent burglary. But Ferreira went to the wrong house, 622 Lawlins instead of 621, after the dispatcher failed to correct him when he incorrectly repeated the address.
Ferreira’s supervisors at the time said the officer took his gun out of its holster as a precaution, and that the dog jumped out of a window and bit him on the foot as he tried to run. That’s when the officer fired at the dog, officials said.