Police Chief Bob Terry's statement:

"Rarely do we like to issue statements regarding a situation that's under investigation.

"But in an attempt to help clarify some of the information that has already been made public, I would like to share with the citizens of Cookeville what we currently know about the I-40 incident regarding the Smoak family as they traveled through here on Jan 1.

"The first thing I would like to address is the fact that the Cookeville Police Department was called in as back-up by the Tennessee Highway Patrol on this matter. Based on the information we were provided, our role was secondary to what the THP termed as a 'felony' stop, a possible car-jacking. We provided this back-up, and were never in primary control of the scene.

"Unfortunately, during the THP's process of gaining control of the situation, a very rare thing occurred. The Smoaks had been traveling with family dogs, and one of them got loose. It appeared to be a pit bull, and as it exited the car, it clearly approached one of our officers in a threatening manner. Our officer first tried to call the dog down, but after it kept approaching aggressively and started to circle him, the officer took the only action he could to protect himself and gain control of the situation.

"I know the officer wishes that circumstances could have been different so he could have prevented shooting the dog. It is never gratifying to have to put an animal down, especially a family pet, and the officer assures me that he never displayed any satisfaction in doing so.

"Before the Smoak family left Cookeville, I, along with our Vice-Mayor, met with them personally to convey our deepest sympathies for their loss and for their experience. No one wants to experience this kind of thing, and it's very unfortunate that it occurred. If we had the benefit of hindsight, I'm sure some - if not all of this - could have been avoided. I believe the Tennessee Highway Patrol feels the same way.

"Our investigation is underway to determine what, if anything, could have been done differently. We will also continue to be in contact with this family. I know it's small consolation to the Smoaks, but we want to learn from this situation and try to make sure it never happens again."

Published January 03, 2003 12:15 PM CST

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• From the Officer's statement: "I yelled at the dog to 'get back' but it attempted to circle me to attack, so I felt that I had no other option but to protect myself. I fired once at the dog, instantly putting him down."

• From the Police Chief's statement: "It appeared to be a pit bull, and as it exited the car, it clearly approached one of our officers in a threatening manner. Our officer first tried to call the dog down, but after it kept approaching aggressively and started to circle him, the officer took the only action he could to protect himself and gain control of the situation."