Man slain by officers after shooting police dog in Anaheim

A man was shot dead after firing on officers and shooting a police dog in the face following a probation search in Anaheim on Thursday, authorities said.

The dog, named Bruno, was in surgery Thursday night. A bullet struck his face and lodged in his chest, police said.

The incident began at 1:45 p.m., when two Orange County probation officers approached a home in the 1100 block of Mayfair Avenue to do a home check. When the officers neared the residence, they saw the probationer with two unidentified men, who ran away.

When one officer looked down an alley to see where the men had run, one of the fleeing men fired three or four rounds at the officer, according to Anaheim Police Lt. Tim Schmidt.

The officer retreated, took cover and was fired upon again, Schmidt said. When the officer rejoined his partner at their patrol car, the man fired on both officers, the lieutenant said.

SWAT police officers were called in, and a perimeter was established.

During a search with SWAT officers, Bruno found one of the men hiding near a trash can. The man fired on the dog and at officers, Schmidt said.

Officers shot the man, killing him, about 3:15 p.m., Schmidt said.

That shooting occurred within a few hundred yards of the original spot where probation officers were fired on, Schmidt said.

The dog was taken into surgery at an animal hospital in Anaheim Hills, Schmidt said. The animal is 7 years old and has been with the department for about five years.

The probationer was in custody, but the other man who fired on probation officers was not, authorities said.

The man who was fatally shot had not been identified.