Ava Ellis was hit accidentally on the afternoon of June 19 when an officer fired at a charging dog at a
home in Whitehall, in central Ohio, according to Columbus police. The department said another relative
had flagged down the officer for help after the girl’s mother cut herself on glass.
Ava’s parents, Andrea and Brad Ellis, and their attorney disputed the police account Tuesday and alleged
the policeman fired unnecessarily and acted recklessly with children nearby on the porch. They say the
roughly 40-pound dog, a bulldog mix named Patches, was retreating inside from the porch when the officer
fired.
"The dog may have barked at the officer; however, the officer should not have shot," attorney
Michael Wright said. "There was absolutely no reason for him to shoot. He was within 10 (or) 12
feet of the children."
The family also says people yelled to notify the officer that the girl was hurt, but he drove away
without offering help, and other emergency responders had to care for the girl.
The initial police summary of what happened didn’t address that claim. A message was left Tuesday for the
department.
The officer was put on paid leave, Wright said.
The family is conducting a private investigation separate from the police investigation of what happened,
said Wright, who added that it was too early to comment on possible legal action by Ava’s parents.
The family says the bullet broke Ava’s leg, and she’ll require further surgeries.