Officer Abused Authority by Shooting Dog – Review Board Ruling

Charges brought against NYPD Officer Ruben Cuesta have been corroborated by the Civilian Complaint Review Board in New York, ruling that the officer abused his authority when he shot a pit bull in the head.

On February 13, Cuesta and a partner were responding to a domestic violence call in an apartment building on E. 183rd St. when he shot Yvonne Rosado’s 4-year-old dog, Spike, in the head.

Surveillance footage shows moments leading up to the shooting in which Cuesta is seen stepping backwards, away from the pit bull, onto the stairwell and firing a shot directly into the pit bull’s head.

The CCRB recommended that Cuesta be retrained, but is there cause to discharge Cuesta from the department?

“In all circumstances we have to leave it to the officer’s understanding of what’s happening at the scene as to what piece of equipment he might use — Taser, pepper spray, firearm,” said former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton.

The circumstances show Cuesta to be extremely careless with his firearm, opening fire in an apartment building when there was no immediate cause to do so. Why was he so quick to reach for his firearm in the first place? Escalation to deadly force in this situation was unnecessary and endangered lives.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of Rosado is now pending. Cuesta remains on active duty.