Port Huron attorney files lawsuit over deadly officer shooting of dog

Lawsuit challenges heavily redacted police videos of incident at St. Clair County Animal Control

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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A federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed challenging video released by the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office showing deputies killing a dog. The suit claims the videos were so heavily redacted that it's impossible to tell what really happened during the incident at the St. Clair County Animal Control facility in Port Huron, Michigan.

Why it matters

The lawsuit alleges the heavy redaction of the police videos was designed to shape the narrative around the controversial shooting of the dog, raising concerns about transparency and accountability in law enforcement actions.

The details

The incident happened in mid-December 2025 when deputies were reportedly struggling with a dog that a family had found wandering outside in freezing weather. Video shows law enforcement attempting to restrain the animal using catch poles, but the dog was later shot and killed behind the Animal Control building after one of the deputies was bitten.

  • The incident occurred in mid-December 2025 at the St. Clair County Animal Control facility in Port Huron, Michigan.
  • The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed on February 11, 2026.

The players

Philip Ellison

The attorney who filed the federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a concerned citizen seeking greater transparency in the case.

Ralph Godbee Jr.

A retired Detroit Police Chief who oversaw many police video releases during his time as Detroit's police chief and commented on the importance of transparency in law enforcement.

St. Clair County Sheriff's Office

The law enforcement agency that released the heavily redacted videos of the incident.

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What they’re saying

“The kind of important points as to whether this was justified or whether this was appropriate were all blacked out. The whole point of our transparency laws in Michigan is so that we, the public, can review and judge whether the actions of our law enforcement officers were justified in those circumstances. We just don't know that when the records are hidden behind excessive redactions.”

— Philip Ellison, Attorney (fox2detroit.com)

“When we say protect and serve, part of service is being transparent, because we don't pay ourselves. It's the citizens' tax dollars. And when citizens trust their police agencies, they're much more willing to share information, obey commands voluntarily, and comply with the law.”

— Ralph Godbee Jr., Retired Detroit Police Chief (fox2detroit.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide whether to allow the full, unredacted police videos to be released to the public.

The takeaway

This lawsuit highlights the ongoing debate around transparency and accountability in law enforcement, with the public demanding access to unredacted footage to assess the justification of officers' actions, while authorities argue for certain redactions to protect sensitive information. The outcome of this case could set an important precedent for police video release policies in Michigan.