‘Hero’ air ambulance pilot shot XL bully four times as ‘first had no impact’

Captain Jon Earp was praised by the judge after he intervened to save several people from the mutt who had started to attack everyone in its sight – resulting in it being shot

An air ambulance pilot has been commended after he was forced to put down an XL bully. The dog had gone rogue and had started to attack several people in the harrowing incident.

Captain Jon Earp resorted to using a farmer’s shotgun to shoot the dog a total of four times during the attack. He explained that four shots were required to bring the dog down after he realised that the first shot had made “no impact whatsoever”.

Now, a judge has been hailed as a “hero” by a judge, praising the pilot for his bravery in intervening. Ultimately, his bravery was deemed as the reason that saved one person’s life in the wake of horrifying moment.

Officers were alerted to an incident taking place at a remote property in the Welsh province of Gwynedd, as a landlord had arrived to collect the rent. As the landlord blasted his car horn, the dog, named Ricoh, began to become aggressive and eventually launched at the landlord, the dog owner and her husbands.

WalesOnline reported that the dog owner, 56-year-old Lisa Grant, had pleaded guilty in court to owning a dog that was dangerously out of control. The dog went on to cause serious injury to her landlord, Gwilym Wyn Roberts, during the attack on November 17, 2023.

Speaking at Caernarfon Crown Court, the presiding judge handed Lisa an eight-month prison sentence, which was suspended for one year. This came after they heard that Lisa had been seriously bitten and sustained life-altering injuries at the hands of her pup.

North Wales Police were alerted to the incident just before 11:30am to reports of “multiple individuals” who were injured as a result of the attack. Lisa’s partner’s son then called 999, with Wales Air Ambulance arriving at the scene a short time later.

Upon arriving at the scene, helicopter pilot Captain Earp, asked a police inspector whether it was the right decision to put the dog down immediately. He was given the green light and borrowed a neighbour farmer’s shotgun, and shot the dog a total of four times to bring it down.

In a statement issued to the court, the landlord said that even in the months following the attack, his scars from the bite have not fully healed. As a result, he has gone out of his way to avoid aggressive dogs, describing the run-in with the mutt as a “horrible” experience.

During their closing remarks, the judge said of pilot Captain Earp: “He and the crew and all the emergency services were all put at risk because this dog was dangerously out of control. His response involved borrowing a shotgun from a neighbouring farmer and shooting the dog.

“It took four shots to kill the dog on the spot – the first shot had no impact whatsoever,” they continued. “He acted due to the ferocity, strength and danger of the animal…(and) saved the life of the partner (Mr Grant) and ensured he got the treatment he needed”.

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