Los Angeles police fatally shoot pet dog of family celebrating Knicks win

Police in California shot and killed a family’s pet dog wearing a New York Knicks jersey after they were called to a report of a screaming woman who turned out to be celebrating the basketball team’s championship win.

Video of the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting of the two-year-old doodle named Jameson, “the sweetest boy in the world”, according to the dog’s owner, received millions of views on TikTok on Tuesday.

A GoFundMe appeal to pay for the cremation of Jameson, shot by the Los Angeles police department (LAPD) outside an apartment in the Canoga Park neighborhood within minutes of the conclusion of Saturday’s NBA championship game five, quickly surpassed $125,000, more than 10 times its initial target.

The footage shows a woman lying with the lifeless body of the dog close to her front door, clutching the animal and sobbing as about a dozen uniformed officers stand around.

A person is heard on the recording shouting at the officers: “This is fucking pathetic when there’s drug dealers, people stabbing each other outside. It’s a fucking dog.”

The woman wails: “The Knicks just won the championship. We were just so happy. We just celebrating the Knicks.” The dog was wearing a jersey in blue and orange Knicks colors.

In a statement, the LAPD said its officers were directed to an apartment by a person who called them to report screaming, and when the woman opened the door they were confronted by a large, barking dog.

“The officers asked her to secure the dog, and the resident closed her door momentarily,” the statement said.

“She reopened the door, and the dog exited the apartment. Once outside of the apartment, the dog charged at one of the officers, resulting in an Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS).”

Jeremiah Garcia, the person who launched the GoFundMe appeal, said the dog was his family’s beloved pet.

“On June 13th, 2026, 10 minutes after celebrating the Knicks championship win, our dog was fatally shot right outside our home,” he wrote on the GoFundMe page.

“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.”

At a press conference on Tuesday at LAPD headquarters, the Los Angeles National Action Network advocacy group demanded the release of police body-cam footage of the shooting.