The woman confronted by two dogs which were later shot dead by Met officers begged bystanders not to call police, her husband has claimed.
Minutes after the incident on Sunday afternoon the dogs were shot dead by an armed police officer by the Limehouse Cut in front of screaming residents.
The “traumatised” woman whose dog was injured was also knocked into the “busy” Commercial Road, her partner reportedly said.
It came as hundreds of activists held a candlelight vigil for the animals, called Marshall and Millions, attended by their distraught owner Louie Turnbull outside New Scotland Yard on Thursday night.
Addressing the crowd, Turnbull said: “They pulled out all their weapons. They were intimidating me and the dogs. And all they were doing was trying to protect me. I had them on the lead, I was pulling them away and they just murdered them. I can’t sleep”.
An Animal Rising spokesperson said: “Louie, Marshall and Millions’ human companion, was there and seemed incredibly surprised and grateful for the level of support and community that came out to show their love for the dogs and him.”
Marshall and Millions deserved better. Our communities deserve better. Do better, @metpoliceuk @10DowningStreet
— Animal Rising (@AnimalRising) May 11, 2023
Get involved with Animal Rising - come to a nonviolence training. Link in bio#AnimalRising #AnimalLiberation #MarshallAndMillions pic.twitter.com/3AGHUdRAtd
One animal lover held a placard reading “Kill police funding not our dogs” outside New Scotland Yard as speeches were made.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the husband of the woman confronted by the dogs told MailOnline that his rescue dog from Greece had been attacked, not his wife. Following the shooting, police said they had received a report that a woman had been attacked by a dog in Commercial Road.
He said: “My wife was traumatised by what happened to the dogs - we both were.
“She didn’t want the dogs to get killed.
“My wife has been crying for the dogs ever since.
“We asked the police why they killed the dogs - they didn’t answer. They didn’t say why they did it.
“My wife didn’t call police. She was begging people around not to call police because she was concerned for the dogs and what would happen to them.
“Our dog was attacked. My wife wasn’t attacked. She had something to her leg but it is not serious. She didn’t go to hospital.
“We don’t know if it happened when she was tangled up on our dog’s lead or when she fell.”
He added his five-year-old rescue dog, which he lovingly referred to as “our baby”, was bitten in the head and belly but is expected to make a full recovery in the coming weeks.
Animal Rising, the group that recently disrupted the Grand National, lay vegan candles on the steps of New Scotland Yard on Thursday night.
It came as a petition to hold the Met “criminally accountable” for the deaths hit 160,000 signatures on Friday.
It has been organised by rescue dog handler Sadie Geoghegan-Dann, who claims horrific video footage portraying the shooting clearly shows “both dogs on leads, both under control”.
Turnbull, 46, of no fixed address, appeared in custody at Thames Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded not guilty to being an owner in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. He will appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on June 6.
In a statement, a Met spokesperson said: “Officers attended the location where the aggressive behaviour of two dogs was of considerable concern and posed a significant threat to them.
“A man was arrested in connection with the incident for having a dog dangerously out of control and assault offences. He has been taken into police custody.”
The statement added a Taser was discharged during the incident and both dogs “were destroyed by police at the scene” but no-one was taken to hospital.
The Met added: “This is never an easy decision for an officer to take, but police have a duty to act where necessary before any further injury is caused.”
The Met’s directorate of professional standards reviewed the incident, including all of the available body-worn camera footage, and was “satisfied that there are no concerns around officer conduct”, the force added.
