A family in Farrell has posted on Facebook that their dog, Java, died after being shot by a police officer during an investigation outside their home last Wednesday. The message was posted late Tuesday, the same day Police Chief Erick Gatewood challenged some of the earlier information published about the incident.

Kamden Stevens told 21 News he had just taken his young daughter inside after she became upset and began crying for her mother. While she was calming down, his friend remained outside by the garage. That’s when officers reportedly arrived, responding to a call from a neighbor who claimed to hear a woman scream.

According to Stevens, the officers stopped his friend in the alley. His friend told them he didn’t live there and went to get Stevens. But instead of waiting, Stevens says the officers followed his friend through the yard and up to the back porch.

When Stevens stepped outside Java slipped past him and walked toward the officers. "She was basically all the way down the steps before I noticed her," he told 21 News. "She started sniffing them, and he went to ask me, ‘Is she aggressive?’ But she was already laying down in between his legs, smelling his feet.”

Stevens says Java let out a low growl, and the officer immediately stepped back and pulled out his gun. “She proceeded to lunge up to see what it was, and he shot her,” Stevens said. “That was literally his first instinct.”

Following the shot, Stevens says the officer began apologizing and suggested places he could take Java for treatment. He also tried to leave the scene, but Stevens demanded he stay. More police arrived soon after, and eventually, Farrell Police Chief Erick Gatewood showed up.

Chief Gatewood issued a statement Tuesday that read, "After reviewing the body-worn camera numerous times over the past several days, and speaking with the officers involved in the incident at [address redacted] Emerson Ave., I have found, contrary to what has been reported, that the dog in question aggressively charged the City of Farrell Officer. The officer fired one round as he retreated from the dog to stop it from biting him. I find that the officer acted appropriately and is not guilty of wrongdoing."

Payton Sloan, Stevens’ girlfriend and Java’s owner, shared the incident publicly on Facebook, saying the dog never attacked the officer and was only sniffing around his feet. She wrote that the shooting happened just feet away from their children, who witnessed the entire event through the doorway.

Java underwent emergency surgery to remove the bullet and repair a damaged artery.

What troubles Stevens most is how quickly the situation escalated. “Why was it a gun first — your most lethal weapon?” he asked. “Why couldn’t you tase her and let me know, ‘Get your dog before I shoot her?’”