Knicks Win, Dog Dies: LAPD Kills Family Pet During Celebration

Marie Marseille was having the time of her life. The Knicks had just won the NBA championship, and her 2-year-old dog Jameson was there to celebrate too—dressed in a New York Knicks jersey for the occasion. It was the kind of moment pet owners dream about: joy, togetherness, a snapshot for the memory books. Then LAPD showed up and killed her dog.

The call came in Saturday after a neighbor heard what they thought was a woman in distress screaming in the Canoga Park condo building. Officers responded to a welfare check, and what happened next is now another cautionary tale about how quickly a moment of happiness can turn tragic. According to police, Jameson rushed at the officers, forcing them to use lethal force. But Marie tells a different story. Speaking to FOX 11, she described a dog that was simply moving toward the officer—no bared teeth, no growling, no aggression, no barking. Just a dog being a dog in his own home.

The video aftermath is brutal to watch. Marie is wailing over Jameson’s body as roughly ten officers stand around the scene. Neighbors, witnessing what had just unfolded, couldn’t hold back their anger. One yelled out:“What is the purpose of all of you?”Another delivered a cutting piece of sarcasm:“Hey, good job. This is what we pay for. Amazing. Amazing. Good work, guys.”The caller who reported the screaming told ABC7 they feel guilty now—they’d thought Marie was in trouble, not celebrating a championship.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Just days earlier, Pasadena PD released video of an officer accidentally shooting another cop during what was described as horseplay. The frequency of these incidents—and the gap between official accounts and what actually happened—raises serious questions about training, de-escalation protocols, and the threshold for using force in situations that clearly didn’t warrant it. A dog in a Knicks jersey at a sports celebration shouldn’t end in a tragedy. Yet here we are.

Marie Marseille lost her pet on what should have been one of the best days of her year. The neighbor who made the 911 call is dealing with guilt. Passersby witnessed an act they found unconscionable. And another incident adds to the mounting criticism of how law enforcement responds to calls in L.A. County. The Knicks may have won a championship, but this story belongs to the losses.