JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman said she is planning on suing the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after reviewing bodycam footage showing how an officer shot her German Shepherd three times after the dog bit him.
The incident happened on November 15 in the Riverside area.
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JSO was originally called because of an argument between two women, one of whom was the dog’s owner, who was also armed.
Action News Jax’s Shanila Kabir spoke to the owner, Jaimie Phillips, who said she and the dog are both ex-military. Phillips claims her dog is a registered service animal that she got after she left the Marine Corps. Phillips strongly believes JSO did not give her enough time to calm the dog down before it attacked the officer.
“I truly believe those bullets were meant for me that day, and my dog took them because the whole time he approached, he said ‘I’m going to shoot you, I’m going to shoot you.’ Why are you going to shoot me when I called you for help?” Phillips said.
The officer involved was cleared.
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However, Phillips said she plans to sue the agency for all the financial and emotional trauma she said this has caused. She said her family had almost $10,000 in veterinarian bills to save her dog, Milo’s, life after the dog was shot.
The shooting occurred after Milo lunged at the officer and bit him.
“An innocent civilian family called law enforcement to protect them from a transient that had just assaulted them. When they asked if I had a weapon, I was honest and let them know that I had a legal concealed carry on my hip,” Phillips said.
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Originally, Phillips had called 911 due to a disturbance with a stranger while out walking the dog in Riverside. She also notified the dispatcher that she had a gun, which led to a tense interaction with the officer, Phillips, and Milo.
Phillips said 10-year-old Milo is a service animal and is trained to protect her.
“I told him at one point, which it doesn’t show in the footage that, that he could come and take my weapon from me and then let me secure my dog. I told him we could do that and safely proceed with whatever he wanted to do,” Phillips said.
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She adds she was also shot once in the leg.
Investigators determined that the bullet was ricocheted and then struck her. It was not a direct shot at her.
The officer involved, Milan Jones, who has worked for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office since 2023, sat before a panel of officers to discuss the shooting.
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One of the panel officers asked him:
“When the dog bit you and held onto you, what was going through your head that could potentially be the outcome with that dog on your leg?”
Officer Milan Jones answered:
“That I could fall on the ground and become unconscious or incapacitated, or I could lose my balance, and the individual armed with the firearm would then take that opportunity, who appeared to be irritated and aggressive, possibly use that firearm against me.”
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Officer Jones said he did not try to kill Milo, but he needed to get the dog off him, who he said bit him and held onto his leg. He said he categorized Phillips as being noncompliant and uncooperative, which probably contributed to him being bitten and the dog being shot.
The JSO internal investigation decided that Jones acted appropriately and was in compliance with the agency’s policy. The report added he was met with “the perfect storm” that included an armed individual and a large, aggressive dog.
Their conclusion has been sent to the sheriff for a final review.
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