Newfoundland owners from as far away as Canada held a vigil today for Rosie, the Newfoundland who was shot and killed by Des Moines police officers on Nov. 7. Our previous coverage is here.

CLICK THE PHOTO TO SEE MORE IMAGES

A group of a couple dozen Newfoundlands, escorted by their owners, carried flowers from Woodmont Elementary School in Des Moines to Lora Perry's home, where Rosie was shot.

Deirdre Wright and her husband Charles, were Rosie's owners and spoke briefly thanking those in attendance.

The police were called on Sunday, Nov. 7, to respond to a loose dog, who had gotten loose on 16th Ave. South. When they could not find it's owner they tried to capture Rosie with a catch pull. When they could not capture her with the catch pull they tased Rosie, which had no effect except to make her run away. Officers caught up with her and tased her again. Rosie ran away again and went into Lora Perry's yard.

Police came into Perry's yard and based on Rosie's previous actions, which were described by the officer as aggressive, decided to use lethal force, shooting Rosie four times.

The Des Moines Police are conducting two investigations, one into whether the incident was handled properly and to decide whether procedure was followed, and a shooting investigation to determine if proper force was used.

The investigation is currently being conducted by Des Moines' acting professional standards sergeant. But Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler, who was at the vigil, said Des Moines Acting Police Chief John O'Leary is looking for a neutral third party to do an independent investigation. The third party investigation will be conducted after the shooting review board finishes their review.

Several councilmembers were at the vigil for Rosie, as well as members of the local Newfoundland Club of America.