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Burlington Police Department stand
near the scene of a shooting Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, in Burlington. The Iowa
Division of Criminal Investigation says the Burlington Police Department
responded to a domestic dispute.(Photo: The Des Moines Register)
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An
Iowa cop shot and killed a 34-year-old woman in front of her husband and
four-year-old son. Witnesses say he was aiming for the family dog, which
startled him as he was trying to break up an argument between the couple.
The Des Moines Register reports Autumn Mae Steele, 34, died Tuesday
after she was shot by Burlington Police Officer Jesse Hill, the Iowa Division
of Criminal Investigations said in a news release Wednesday.
The shooting occurred when
Burlington Police officers responded to a domestic dispute in Burlington at
about 10:25 a.m. Tuesday.
Initial findings indicated Hill
fired his weapon twice with one round hitting Steele in the middle part of her
torso, the news release said. Steele was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Hill has been a Burlington police
officer since Aug. 13, 2013. He was treated at the Great River Medical Center
for at least one dog bite, and was later released, authorities said.
Iowa DCI Special Agent in Charge
Rick Rahn did not immediately know how many dog bites Hill sustained or the
severity of the officers injuries, he said Wednesday afternoon. He also
declined to comment on how a dog was involved in the shooting incident.
A neighbor, Ed Ranck, told The Hawk
Eye newspaper that he watched as the officer was trying to break up an argument
and then he was startled by the couple's German shepherd dog.
The Iowa DCI continues to examine
physical and forensic evidence and conduct interviews.
An autopsy will take place at the
University of Iowa Decedent Care Unit on Thursday.
Less than hour before Tuesday's shooting, Autumn
Steele was released from a county jail on a charge of domestic abuse assault
causing injury.
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