Family dog wearing Knicks jersey shot dead by Los Angeles police after NBA title celebration

A family's pet dog was shot and killed by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in southern California on Saturday night after police were called to reports of a screaming woman who turned out to be celebrating her basketball team's first national championship title in over half a century, triggering public outrage and fresh scrutiny over the use of force by American law enforcement. 

The incident took place at approximately 8:55 p.m. local time on 13 June in the Canoga Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles, when officers from the LAPD's Topanga Patrol Division responded to a caller reporting a screaming woman at a residential apartment complex on the 7500 block of Jordan Avenue.

The screaming, it emerged, was not from any danger. The resident — Marie Marseille, a nurse originally from New York — had been watching the New York Knicks defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, securing the franchise's first championship since 1973.

Officers were directed to Marseille's apartment unit, where they began speaking with her. According to an LAPD statement, whilst speaking with the resident, her dog — a two-year-old golden retriever, Saint Bernard and poodle mix named Jameson — was beside her, barking at the officers. Officers instructed Marseille to secure the dog, and she briefly closed her door.

"She re-opened the door, and the dog exited the apartment," the LAPD statement said. "Once outside of the apartment, the dog charged at one of the officers, resulting in an Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS)."

Jameson was pronounced dead at the scene. He was still wearing a blue and orange New York Knicks jersey that the family had dressed him in before the game.

'He didn't do anything'

Marseille disputed the police's account of events, saying Jameson had not been baring his teeth, barking, growling or behaving aggressively at the time of the shooting. 

"He was just moving towards the officer," she said. "I don't understand what happened, I don't understand why he had to get shot, I don't get it, he didn't do anything."

She added: "He's my baby, he's my baby. It doesn't make any sense to me, I can't make sense of anything."

Jeremiah Garcia, Marseille's son, told CBS News he had been watching the game at his girlfriend's nearby home and was on a video call with his mother when he heard gunshots.

"Soon as my [mom] opened the door to greet the officer, Jamo sprints out as an opportunity just to greet someone else — and then, yeah, that's what happened," he said. "When I was on the phone, I heard two shots."

Garcia rushed to the apartment complex, where he found Jameson dead in the stairwell, still dressed in the team jersey.

"I spring up the stairs and I see yellow tape, caution tape on the stairwell. And I see my dog," Garcia said. "Then, I see my mom in my home just screaming at the top of her lungs. I tried to console her, I tried to. It was just so horrible."

Garcia said he "would never dream" of Jameson charging at anyone, describing the dog as playful and gentle. "He was the best dog you would ever, ever see. Ever meet," he told CBS News. "Everyone loved him, all my neighbours."

In a post on the family's fundraising page, Garcia wrote: "On June 13th, 2026, 10 minutes after celebrating the Knicks championship win, our dog was fatally shot right outside our home. 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."

Video goes viral; memorial grows

Video footage of the aftermath, posted to social media on Saturday night, showed Marseille lying beside Jameson's lifeless body near her front door, clutching the animal and sobbing as approximately a dozen uniformed officers stood around her. 

In the recording, a bystander is heard shouting at officers: "This is fucking pathetic when there's drug dealers, people stabbing each other outside. It's a fucking dog."

Marseille is also heard crying out: "The Knicks just won the championship. We were just so happy. We were just celebrating the Knicks."

A crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe — a popular American online fundraising platform — set up to cover the cost of Jameson's cremation quickly surpassed $125,000 (approximately £99,000), more than ten times its initial target, The Guardian reported.

A growing memorial of flowers and cards left by neighbours has formed in the hallway of the apartment complex. The Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, a city authority responsible for the welfare and custody of animals, responded to the scene and took custody of Jameson's body. It has not been confirmed when, or whether, the remains will be returned to the family.

Advocacy group demands body-camera release

The case has reignited longstanding debate in the United States over the use of lethal force by police — a subject of sustained national controversy since a series of high-profile killings of unarmed individuals by law enforcement officers prompted mass protests across the country in recent years.

At a press conference on Tuesday at LAPD headquarters, the Los Angeles chapter of the National Action Network — a prominent American civil rights organisation — called for the immediate public release of officers' body-worn camera footage and the identification of the officers involved in the shooting.

"The tragic killing of Jameson was unnecessary and unwarranted," Najee Ali, the group's senior organiser said. "We demand immediate accountability, which can only happen through the prompt release of the body-worn camera footage and the names of the officers responsible for shooting and killing Jameson. The public deserves transparency, and the family deserves answers."

No community members or officers were reported injured in the incident. Marseille cooperated with investigators, the LAPD said. The department's Force Investigation Division — the unit responsible for reviewing all officer-involved shootings in Los Angeles — is continuing to investigate the matter. Police said the investigation remains underway.