"Witnesses say the dog did not run at the group of officers but instead just walked towards them. They say their family pet was killed needlessly"......

Riiiiiiiiiiiight....stupid people...

It's against the law for the dog to be on the street with no leash. So make sure to go back and charge the dog's owners with letting their pitbull run loose. And check its rabies shots. That ought to set them back a few hundred dollars...