A Baltimore police officer opened fire on two charging Cane Corsos Friday morning after arriving to find a 69-year-old man suffering from dog bite wounds on Edgemere Avenue. Officers had been called to the 4900 block around 9:30 a.m. for a report of a man bitten by dogs, and when the two large dogs charged toward the scene, an officer discharged their weapon before the animals retreated into a nearby yard.
The man was hospitalized with dog bite wounds, according to WBAL-TV, which cited Baltimore City police. Police said the Cane Corsos were not struck by the gunfire, and animal control officers were called to the scene. Police have released no further information immediately, and it remains unclear whether the dogs' owner has been identified or cited.
Separately, WJZ reported that officers arriving at the 4900 block of Edgemere Avenue at 9:30 a.m. observed visible bite wounds on the man before the two charging dogs prompted the officer to fire. The encounter quickly became a public safety incident.
A Pattern of Charging Dogs and Police Gunfire in Baltimore
Friday's shooting is not an isolated event for the department. In March 2026, Baltimore Police officers responded to a dog bite in the 6500 block of Hartwait Street, where two officers fired at an unrestrained charging dog, striking the animal and accidentally injuring an officer's foot via ricochet before the dog was euthanized, according to the Baltimore Police Department.
An earlier case involving a dog and police gunfire is also discussed. In July 2026, Hoodline covered a similar case in which an officer used a Taser and gun on attacking dogs on West Franklin Street.
Internal Review and Legal Exposure Ahead
Hoodline has reported that the Baltimore Police Department's Special Investigations Response Team is typically assigned to incidents in which an officer fires a weapon, including shootings involving animals. That review is expected to examine Friday's shooting on Edgemere Avenue as well.
The dogs' owner could face civil liability under Maryland's dog-bite statute. Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-1901 imposes strict liability on owners for injuries caused by a dog running at large, meaning the bitten man would not need to prove the owner knew the animals were aggressive, according to Marks & Harrison. Separately, Maryland's Criminal Law § 10-619 defines a “dangerous dog” as one that kills or inflicts severe injury without provocation, a designation that can carry misdemeanor charges and fines up to $2,500 for noncompliant owners, per the People's Law Library.
The Breed Behind the Attack
The dogs were identified as Cane Corsos. The article does not provide further background on the breed.
Baltimore City Code and Police Department Policy 723 prohibit keeping or training attack dogs within city limits and require all dogs to be licensed, vaccinated against rabies, and kept on a leash or inside a secure enclosure. The article also discusses canine threat-assessment and non-lethal de-escalation training. Dog-bite incidents and attacks on postal workers are mentioned in the broader discussion.
It remains unknown whether Baltimore City Animal Care and Control impounded the Cane Corsos following Friday's incident, and the status of the department's internal review into the officer's gunfire has not been disclosed.
