Jacksonville, FL – A U.S. Marine veteran is preparing to sue the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) after a controversial incident in which her 10-year-old German Shepherd and registered service dog was shot three times by a responding officer.
The veteran, Jaimie Phillips, says she called the police for help—yet ended up with her dog bleeding out, a bullet wound in her own leg, and a law enforcement system that she feels turned on her instead of protecting her.
The November 15th encounter began when Phillips, out with her daughter and dog, called 911 to report a confrontation with a stranger near her home in the Riverside neighborhood. She also disclosed during the call that she was legally armed with a concealed carry pistol—something Florida law fully allows and something she was up front about.
Instead of de-escalating the situation, Phillips says the arriving officer, Milan Jones, approached her aggressively. Her dog, Milo, reportedly lunged at the officer and bit his leg. Seconds later, Milo was shot three times. Bodycam footage shows Phillips standing just feet from the officer’s weapon with her daughter nearby as the shots rang out.
“I told him he could take my gun and let me secure my dog,” said Phillips. “He didn’t listen. I had my hands up. I called them for help, and they came in hot, like I was the threat.”
Phillips says Milo is a PTSD service dog she got while transitioning out of the Marine Corps in 2014. Despite presenting paperwork and witness testimony, JSO says they have not verified the dog’s service animal status.
The officer was later cleared of wrongdoing after an internal investigation, with the board concluding he faced a “perfect storm”—an armed citizen and an aggressive dog. [how are the two the same?] They accepted Officer Jones’ reasoning that he feared being incapacitated and potentially shot by Phillips, despite no signs she ever reached for her weapon.
Interestingly, there were no visible injuries documented on Officer Jones beyond a torn pant leg—no photos of broken skin or a bite wound.
Who’s Really at Fault?
Let’s break this down:
- A law-abiding, armed citizen calls for help.
- She informs dispatch she is carrying.
- Her trained service dog reacts to an officer’s aggression.
- The dog is shot three times. The owner is struck by a ricochet. The daughter is nearby.
- The officer is cleared, but no full video has been released yet.
We’ve seen this before—lawful gun owners being treated like threats simply for being armed. Add a barking dog to the mix, and suddenly, the civilian becomes the enemy. If JSO had followed de-escalation protocols or simply accepted Phillips’ offer to secure the weapon and the dog, this might have ended peacefully.
Even the officer admitted, in hindsight, it could have been handled differently.
So, AmmoLand News readers:
- Was this a justified use of force, or a failure of police training and judgment?
- Was Phillips targeted because she was legally armed?
- And if Milo had been a lapdog instead of a German Shepherd, would the outcome have been the same?
Let us know what you think in the comments.
Editor’s Note: As always, AmmoLand News stands by lawful gun owners, our veterans, and the right to due process. This incident raises serious questions about how law enforcement engages with the very people they swear to protect—especially those exercising their constitutional rights.
CPRC: The Many Ways Concealed Carry Permitees Enhance Public Safety
I don’t need to see the “entire body cam footage” to know this LEO came in hot once he heard that the citizen was armed. All he heard was “I feared for my life” & made his appraisal of the situation before he got there. Now, the citizen’s DOCUMENTED service dog is dead, she’s wounded, & the JSO “investigated ourselves & found we did nothing wrong”. BS! Release the footage & let us all see what we already know. She needs to obtain EXCELLENT legal counsel & make them pay! And the offending officer should have to pay to provide… Read more »
haven’t seen all the bwc footage but, why didn’t the cop talk with the woman and then go find the perp instead of attempting to force her to sit down? obviously the woman wasn’t a threat to the cop because she told dispatch she had a weapon and didn’t use it even when the cop shot her dog. she should have had better control over her dog, but that shouldn’t have caused the cop to shoot the dog. they shoot my dog i will be going to prison for murder. personally don’t like most cops because they don’t care about… Read more »
This cop needs to be fired and sued, as well as the city.
“JSO says they have not verified the dog’s service animal status.” There’s NOTHING to verify…there’s no such thing as a “service dog registry”, and if I say my dog is a “service dog”, then it it is a “service dog”, and there are 2 questions allowed to be asked, 1) “Is that a service dog”? 2) “What does your service dog do for you”?, that is it, end of discussion… Additionally, you do not approach, aggressively, or in any other manner when there’s a dog, service dog or not, that animal is going to take a protective stance of it’s… Read more »
Looks like the dog was on a leash and in her control, no reason for him to get too close to her given she was armed and 911 was told so.
Shooting the dog with the small child close by was the wrong decision.
He feared she would shoot him. This is just insanity. Citizens with concealed carry permits do not shoot police officers.
I think the cop lacks mental capacity, #1 the victim called the police to help with a problem. #2 a CHILD was present. With that being known why in the world was his weapon drawn? If he was concerned that the law abiding citizen was armed and he was scared of her and her dog maybe the wussy should find another line of work.
Sounds like another insecure, macho asshole cop that couldn’t give the space in the time for the woman to secure her dog. Do you think a service dog would be better trained also
The cowardly pig was going to kill her because she dared to carry a gun! If she pursues this, the cop will end up being fined under Florida law!
As a resident of Florida and the holder of a CCW, I want to clear something up! The pigs may tell you that you that the law says you need to inform them if you are carrying.This is patently false! All you have to do is show your permit! we all know, the pigs are trained professional liars! Keep your mouth shut, or, tell them…l I don’t answers questions!m