Pasco deputy shoots off fingertip during encounter with pit bull

HUDSON — A Pasco County sheriff's deputy who fired at an attacking pit bull over the weekend accidentally shot off her fingertip, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The deputy, Monica Bray, tried to make contact on Saturday with the owner of the pit bull, which had just severely mauled a homeless man, sheriff's officials said. Footage from the deputy's body-worn camera shows the dog slowly approaching Bray as she stood in the front yard of a home on Oakley Avenue.

"You better stay there, brother," the deputy said, addressing the dog.

Immediately after, the video shows the dog becoming more aggressive, latching onto the deputy's pants leg. The deputy tripped and fired two shots at the dog, one of which hit the tip of her left ring finger.

The dog, meanwhile, died.

"I just shot my finger," Bray said. "Okay, it hurts."

When another deputy asked to see, Bray said she didn't want to look at it.

The Sheriff's Office noted that Bray is the owner of three pit bulls herself. She was placed on paid administrative leave and will return to light duty, sheriff's officials said.