Family sues over death of man who fatally stabbed police dog

PITTSBURGH – The family of a Pennsylvania man who fatally stabbed a police dog and then was killed by transit police officers is suing over his death.

Relatives of Bruce Kelley Jr. allege in a lawsuit filed Monday that Allegheny County Port Authority police officers used excessive force instead of de-escalating the situation in suburban Pittsburgh in January 2016.

Officials say the 37-year-old Kelley and his father got caught drinking alcohol in a Wilkinsburg busway gazebo and then fought with police. Authorities say the killing was justified because the officers used a stun gun and pepper spray on Kelley before opening fire.

A spokesman for the Port Authority police department has declined to comment on the lawsuit, which seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

The 5-year-old German Shepherd was named Aren and had served four years on the transit police force.