New body camera footage raises questions about whether a former Thiensville police officer was justified in shooting two dogs outside his department's jurisdiction. One of those dogs died; the other was injured after 16 shots we re fired, according to police records.The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office has launched a criminal investigation into former Thiensville Officer Richard McCormick's actions at the request of the Mequon Police Department.On April 23, body camera video shows McCormick getting out of his squad car. The footage begins without audio, but shows the dogs approaching McCormick. The video then shows the dogs turning to run away after McCormick points his gun and fires several times.The audio comes on thirty seconds into the video. A pit bull can be heard whimpering as McCormick reloads his gun. McCormick then fired six more shots at a dog that was not moving.Watch: Animal advocates argue Thiensville officer's shooting of two dogs was not justified Animal advocates argue Thiensville officer's shooting of two dogs was not justified"I know, I'm sorry, buddy," McCormick said on April 23.When Mequon police arrived at the scene, McCormick spoke with officers."I don't like shooting animals," McCormick said on body camera on April 23.Two hours before the shooting, a separate Mequon body camera video shows officers were called for a report of two stray pit bulls and let them go."You're fine. Go be free," a Mequon officer told the stray dogs.A police report written by McCormick states he feared he was about to be attacked and bitten. Animal rights advocates argue the footage shows his life was not in danger, especially when both dogs tried to run away.Alicia Hegedus and Danielle Dietz are animal rights advocates who were among the first to bring this incident to light. They requested the body camera video last month after receiving a tip on Facebook."Do you think it was necessary for this officer to shoot at the two dogs?" reporter Ben Jordan asked Hegedus. "No, absolutely not. It was completely avoidable. First of all, he wasn't even supposed to be there," Hegedus said.In the footage, McCormick can be heard describing what happened."I think I unloaded a 'mag' I reloaded," McCormick said.Dietz said reloading and continuing to fire was indefensible."He reloaded his firearm and continued to shoot the dog. There is no justification for that in my mind," Dietz said. According to a media release from the Thiensville police chief, the Mequon Police Department requested that an outside agency conduct a criminal investigation. The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office is now handling that investigation.The release also states that McCormick resigned from the Thiensville Police Department before the internal investigation was complete. The Wisconsin Professional Police Association represents nearly 10,000 officers across the state. WPPA's Jim Palmer sent TMJ4 an emailed statement that says, "For reasons known only to {McCormick}, he resigned of his own volition shortly after the investigation was initiated."Records show McCormick was placed on the Wisconsin Department of Justice's 'flagged officer list' two years before he was hired by the Thiensville Police Department.The list is intended to inform hiring agencies if an officer previously resigned in lieu of termination, resigned before a misconduct investigation was complete, or was fired for cause. It shows McCormick previously worked for the Milwaukee Police Department until 2022.TMJ4s attempts to reach McCormick by phone were unsuccessful.Dietz said she hopes the investigation leads to consequences."We hope that accountability is had. We hope that they are able to find something to charge him with, and aside from that, we would like to make sure this type of thing doesn't happen again and that there are consequences when you are misusing your weapon," Dietz said.Hegedus and Dietz are now focusing on helping rescue Ranger, the dog that survived. TMJ4 requested for an interview with the Thiensville Police Department, but the department said the chief is the only one who handles media inquiries and that he is unavailable until Monday.Investigative reporter Ben Jordan also reached out to the Ozaukee County Sheriffs Office to find out where the criminal investigation stands. We have not yet heard back.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error ...read more read less