GoFundMe For Ziggy The Pit Bull, Killed In Bed-Stuy Park, Surpasses Goal In 24 Hours

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A GoFundMe created on Tuesday to raise money for the pit bull who was killed by a police officer in a Bed-Stuy park this week raised over $1,700 in just 24 hours — more than $1,000 over its goal of $750.

What happened to Ziggy is every dog owner's nightmare.

Laura Stephen was at Saratoga Park around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday with her family pit bull Ziggy when two cops approached them, she said. Six-year-old Ziggy was off-leash and walking around in the bushes.

According to Stephen, as soon as the female officer began to speak to Stephen to summons her for having her dog off-leash, the male officer shot Ziggy twice. Cops said Ziggy was about to attack the officer. Stephen takes issue with this claim.

"As Ziggy fought for his life, bleeding onto the snowy grounds of our beloved park, the NYPD delayed medical attention for almost an hour before allowing him to be transported," wrote Kanika Ojha, the creator of the GoFundMe. "We're beyond devastated to report that Ziggy passed away from this reckless and needless act of violence."

The NYPD confirmed to Patch that at 7:30 p.m. a police officer shot an "unleashed pit-bull" inside of Saratoga Square Park.

Many in the Saratoga Park community and beyond have rallied around Stephen and her family.

"Those of us who had the privilege of knowing Ziggy knew him to be angel, a teddy bear. He was a cherished member of the Saratoga Park community," Ojha wrote. "While nothing can bring him back to Laura, we hope to help her shoulder the burden of laying Ziggy to rest, and to find some justice for his innocent life."

Click here to donate to the Ziggy fund.

Photo via Facebook