Police records show officers received three calls about the dogs over more than three hours. The first, at 6:13 p.m., described two dogs running loose and charging a caller in an open garage; the caller reported no bite. A later report described dogs barking and growling in the area.

Before 9 p.m., a woman found the dogs and coaxed them into her car with a cheeseburger, according to the incident report. She called 311 for assistance. The report says one dog began barking and growling when she returned to the vehicle.

Officer G. Mendez-Gonzalez arrived at about 9:10 p.m. and requested Animal Protection Services. The woman told police the dogs got out of her car and came toward her. The officer used pepper spray, and the dogs ran off, the report says.

About 9:34 p.m., after following the dogs in his patrol car, Mendez-Gonzalez got out near a man on a bicycle. Investigators reviewing body-camera video said the dogs immediately chased the officer as he backed around his vehicle and sprayed them. The officer drew his handgun, and a shot was heard seconds later. Rocky was killed.

Henderson police said the officer tried to create distance and used oleoresin capsicum spray, commonly known as pepper spray, before firing. The department said the dogs continued to advance and the officer fired to protect himself and the community.

Rocky’s owner, who was not identified, said she believes the dogs may have escaped through a side gate while the family was at her son’s high school football game. She questioned how the latched gate opened and said the family had recently experienced car rummaging and a series of robberies, raising concern that someone might have been on the property. The report does not establish how the dogs got out.

The family’s attorney, Carl Arnold, said he is examining the incident report and disputes aspects of the account. He argued that the officer should not have run after leaving his vehicle and could have used the car, a door or a flashlight as a barrier. Arnold also questioned why the officer did not wait for animal-control personnel. He said he has not received the officer’s individual training records; the department and the news outlet had requested training and use-of-force records.

The case comes amid questions about Henderson police training on dog encounters. Earlier reporting this year said the department had not provided state-mandated dog-encounter training for at least five years before an officer fatally shot Bruno, a 7-year-old boxer mix, during a wellness check. After that report, the department said officers had to watch a training video and sign rosters documenting completion.

A city call-history report lists five calls coded as animal complaints at Rocky’s home dating to July 2022, including the Oct. 2 incident, along with separate animal-protection and animal-control entries. The records do not describe what happened during the earlier calls. The police report said animal-protection officers had previously visited the home over barking and whimpering.