JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released edited body camera footage of what happened after a Marine veteran’s dog was shot by an officer in November 2024. 

Jaimie Phillips and her husband reached out to the Ask Anthony team for help in obtaining the video footage from JSO. For nearly five months, they said they’ve been asking for the sheriff’s office to give them the unedited body camera video showing what happened. 

“We’ve had to watch our dog heal from three gunshot wounds that we didn’t know if he would survive from, and I’ve had him over a decade,” Phillips shared emotionally in an interview before the video was released.

The footage relates to an incident that occurred when Phillips called the police for assistance with a dispute near her Riverside home on College Street on November 15. 

While searching for personal items stolen from her husband’s car at the railroad tracks near her home, Phillips and her daughter encountered a stranger. With her dog, Milo, by her side, and a gun on her hip, Phillips called 911 for help. 

When officers arrived, Phillips says one officer approached them aggressively, setting off a series of events that led to the officer shooting at Milo three times.

“My service dog is from the military, so he’s not one of those emotional support cuddle-me, touch-me type dogs,” Phillips explained. “I asked him, he’s on a leash. I asked the officer if I could secure my dog. He refused to let me. I asked him again, and he continued forward and still refused.”

According to Phillips, Milo is a trained military support dog. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said they could not verify if the dog was a legitimate service animal. However, on Friday, Phillips told us over the phone she has the paperwork to prove it when we questioned her about it. 

Investigators say Officer M.A. Jones was forced to shoot after Milo lunged at him and bit his leg. A review board within the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says the officer was in a tough situation and has been cleared of any wrongdoing for how he responded. 

“I think the officer acted appropriately,” one board member said.

“I think anyone who has a dog of that size latched on to their leg, I think it’s more than reasonable to use deadly force to try to get that dog away from you,” another board member said.

After being asked by the board what went through his mind when the dog bit him, Jones said he feared becoming incapacitated, which could have given Phillips an opportunity to harm him. Phillips sustained a leg injury, but x-rays could not determine if it was caused by a bullet fragment or debris from a ricochet. 

Notably, no photos were taken of Jones’ leg under his pants, and when asked later, it was because no visible injury was found. 

Phillips believes the officer’s actions didn’t match the situation.

“He just looks me in my eyes and pulls out the weapon and starts firing,” Phillips said. “If it (the bullet) didn’t get stuck in the dog’s spine, it could have hit my daughter who was standing here.”

Phillips says the edited footage is not enough and insists on seeing the full, unedited video. She says transparency is key, not only to understand what happened that day, but to ensure accountability within the community.

First Coast News has requested an unedited copy of the video. The sheriff’s office says they are working to get us the video as soon as they can, but there is a backlog.

This is a developing story the Ask Anthony team will continue to follow.