DONKEY: L.A.P.D. Officer Fatally Sh00ts Knicks Fan’s Dog

Summary

Donkey of the Day: L.A.P.D. Officer Fatally Shoots Knicks Fan’s Dog

Podcast: Donkey of the Day
Host: Charlamagne Tha God (with DJ Envy)
Date: June 22, 2026
Episode Focus: The LAPD officer who fatally shot a Knicks fan’s golden retriever-poodle mix is awarded Donkey of the Day. The incident sparks a deeper discussion about police escalation, use of force, public empathy, and how these themes intersect with issues of race and policing.

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Episode Overview

Charlamagne Tha God addresses the controversial incident in which an LAPD officer shot and killed Jameson, a golden retriever-poodle mix, during a wellness check prompted by a noise complaint about a Knicks fan celebrating. The conversation explores the implications of police escalation, public reactions to violence against animals versus humans, and the systemic issues underlying these situations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Incident Breakdown ([02:41]–[05:09])

• Donkey of the Day Awarded to LAPD Officer

  • Charlamagne details the scenario: A neighbor, concerned by loud celebratory yelling ("Oh my God" for 20 minutes) in Marie’s apartment, calls 911 for a welfare check.
  • When police arrive, Jameson, wearing a Knicks t-shirt, is shot and killed by an officer.
  • Charlamagne:
    "Not a pit bull, not a Rottweiler... This man shot and killed a golden retriever poodle mix. He shot Air Bud, man." ([02:52])

• Eyewitness & News Audio

  • Audio from ABC 7 is played, covering the neighbor’s remorse and the fatal moment captured on police bodycam.
  • DJ Envy:
    "We were just so happy. We were trying to celebrate..." ([04:22])
  • Charlamagne notes:
    "The story begins just before 9pm… neighbor calls 911, concerned that Marie was in distress." ([04:24])

2. Broader Police Conduct and Use of Force ([05:09]–[08:38])

• Discussion of Police Escalation

  • Charlamagne argues the real issue is not just the dog or the breed, but the police mindset that defaults to violence.
  • Charlamagne:
    "Excessive force doesn’t exist in compartments... police culture, depending on whatever community they are in, they reach for violence first and ask questions later." ([05:26])

• Parallel to Racial Violence

  • The segment draws direct parallels between police violence toward animals and toward Black and Brown people.
  • "This style of policing that can't find patience with a dog, damn sure can't find patience with people." ([07:08])
  • Emphasizes the danger when aggression and fear become ingrained habits in policing.

• Call for Consistent Empathy

  • Charlamagne criticizes selective outrage and challenges listeners to extend their empathy beyond animals:
  • "If you can recognize unnecessary violence when it happens to a dog, then you should be able to recognize unnecessary violence when it happens to human beings, too." ([08:23])
  • "Empathy isn't supposed to stop at species. It isn't supposed to stop at race or politics. If your compassion has conditions, then it's not compassion, it's preference." ([09:00])

3. Debate: Was the Officer Justified? ([09:15]–[12:46])

Police Instructions & Owner Response

• DJ Envy and Charlamagne go back and forth over whether police warnings to contain the dog were sufficient or even reasonable.
• Charlamagne:
  "They told him six times to put the dog away. The owner did not put the dog away." ([10:14])
• DJ Envy contends that escalation wasn’t necessary and questions the need for a gun during a wellness check.

Alternative Police Actions

• DJ Envy suggests non-lethal alternatives:
  • "You can't use your taser? You can't hit the dog with your baton?" ([11:27])

Underlying Patterns in Policing

• Charlamagne stands by the argument that this pattern of escalation is the core problem, while DJ Envy repeatedly points to the wider use of excessive force in communities of color.

DJ Envy: "You do realize that same excessive force, that same police dollars will lead to black people getting killed all the time." ([11:17])

• The hosts conclude the debate by opening the phone lines for audience input.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Absurdity of the Situation
  Charlamagne: "He shot Air Bud, man." ([02:52])

• Explaining Selective Outrage
  Charlamagne: "Some of y’all gonna piss me off because you’re gonna show more passion over a dog being killed than when ... when a black person or a brown person is killed in those same encounters." ([08:23])

• Empathy and Justice
  Charlamagne: "If your compassion has conditions, then it’s not compassion, it’s preference." ([09:00])

• Calling Out Contradictions
  DJ Envy: "Some of y’ all will demand justice for the golden retriever poodle mix, but debate whether a black person deserved what happened to them. That’s the contradiction I don’t like." ([08:39])

• On Policing and Training
  Charlamagne: "Aggression can become a habit if officers are trained to see danger everywhere. And eventually they’ll create the very tragedies they’re supposed to prevent." ([07:58])

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Important Timestamps

• [02:41] – Charlamagne begins Donkey of the Day; the case background.
• [03:57] – Plays ABC7 segment and eyewitness interview.
• [05:09] – DJ Envy and Charlamagne discuss the implications for police use of force.
• [08:23] – Charlamagne’s monologue on empathy and racial parallels.
• [09:15] – “Hee-haw” soundbite, marking Donkey of the Day stamp.
• [09:34] – Debating owner responsibility and police warning ("put the dog away" six times).
• [10:43] – DJ Envy and Charlamagne discuss why officers had their guns drawn.
• [11:17] – Linking the pattern of excessive force against dogs to broader issues with police violence against Black and Brown people.
• [12:46] – Invitation for listeners to call in and join the conversation.

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Summary Flow & Tone

Charlamagne employs his characteristic blend of sarcasm, empathy, and sharp social commentary. Despite the story’s initial absurdity ("He shot Air Bud!"), the episode quickly pivots to systemic critiques of policing. The exchange remains candid, at times contentious, as DJ Envy challenges the idea that protocol justifies deadly force. The hosts keep the discussion relevant by paralleling animal empathy with the inconsistencies in American reactions to police violence against people of color—calling for compassion without borders.

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Conclusion

This episode of "Donkey of the Day" uses a heartbreaking story about a dog’s death to interrogate deeper issues around law enforcement, escalation, and public empathy. Both hosts demand a collective reckoning—not just for Jameson, the dog, but for all unnecessary victims of police violence.

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Recommended for listeners seeking insightful, unflinching commentary on policing, race, public empathy, and media coverage.

Transcript

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's time for Donkey of the Day.

[DJ Envy]

There's a bunch of donkeys out here in these streets.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I made Donkey of the Day called

[DJ Envy]

Donkey of the Day. It really caught me off guard. We live a life where we bite our tongue based off who we may offend. We never would say anything.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Charlamagne.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Give it to him.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Give it to him.

[DJ Envy]

You are a donkey. That is why Charlemagne is here. Some donkey today just saw themselves on the Breakfast Club.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay, Charlemagne who you giving donkey of

[DJ Envy]

the day to today? Well, donkey, today for Monday, June 22, capital P's birthday. Drop on the clues box for Porsche Williams. Once again, happy born day, Porsche. It goes to the lapd. I wish I knew the name of this one LAPD officer who decided that he needed to shoot and kill a golden retriever poodle mix named Jameson. You heard what the hell I said. This LAPD officer shot and killed a dog named Jameson. Not a pit bull, not a Rottweiler, not a Cane Corso, not a German shepherd. Not saying any of those dogs deserve to die. Just saying those are usually the guard dog. Those are usually the dogs that people are scared of that signify danger. This man shot and killed a golden retriever poodle mix. He shot Air Bud, man. Okay, I'm not even a dog person, and this story made me extremely sad because this golden retriever poodle mix was wearing a New York Knicks T shirt. Okay, See, what happened was the dog's owner, who goes by the name Marie, she's a New York Knicks fan, and she was celebrating in her apartment the night the Knicks won the championship. And her dog Jameson was clearly celebrating with her. You know, when the owner gets hyped, the dog get hyped too. Well, that prompted one of the neighbors to call the police to do a welfare check because black Joy to her, sounds like someone is in danger. Let's go to ABC 7 Eyewitness News for the report. Please.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This police body cam video shows the moment an officer opened fire on a woman's pet. Is the dog put away?

[DJ Envy]

Please put it on. It's all here.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Four gunshots. Jameson, Marie's golden retriever poodle mix, died in her arms.

[DJ Envy]

We were just so happy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We were trying to celebrate some mix. The story begins just before 9pm last weekend. A neighbor calls 911, concerned that Marie was in distress.

[DJ Envy]

I heard my neighbor. She's been screaming oh, my God. For 20 minutes, like something really bad happened. I just was wondering if someone could do a wellness check.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We now know Marie was celebrating the New York Knicks NBA title win. In an exclusive interview, the neighbor tells me she feels guilty. I thought the worst thing that could happen was that I inconvenienced her. And she would just say, I'm okay, and they would leave. They were very hostile. They were banging on that door. It sounded like with a baton or something.

[DJ Envy]

Question. If all dogs go to heaven, does that mean if you murder a dog in cold blood, does that mean you automatically go to hell? I think so. Okay, see, there is two types of people in this world. Dog lovers who are infuriated by this because the dog got killed in cold blood, and people who don't have an affinity for dogs. But understand that the issue here isn't the dog being killed. It's the mindset of some police officers, okay? Excessive force doesn't exist in compartments, all right? For whatever reason, police culture is a culture that depending on whatever community they are in, they reach for violence first, okay? And ask questions later. And they see every situation as a threat, which I will never understand because not only do they have the guns, they have a license to kill. Well, not an actual license, but the law does permit them to use deadly force in highly specific situations to protect themselves or others from imminent harm. So this same law that killed Jameson has also resulted in far too many black and brown people losing their lives during police encounters. Okay? This is such an interesting story because this isn't something that can be politicized by race, gender, class. This is simply us discussing the broader issue of escalation and the use of force by police officers, okay? Every officer doesn't behave this way, all right? Some officers would have let the dog run up to him, jump on them, okay? They would have petted the dog, played with them. But for whatever reason, this officer decided to escalate a situation that did not need to be escalated, okay? I don't understand why some police officers, you know, training temperament and instinct, tell them that every problem requires a gun. Okay? It was a wellness check. The neighbor didn't say she thought it was a crime. She just said she heard Marie saying, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God for 20 minutes. She could have been in there with the G spot seven seed, you know, sucking clitoral stimulation massager for all we know. But the officers didn't even take the time to find out. Because some officers have a style of policing that values domination over de escalation. And that's not good. That's not good, okay? Aggression can become a habit if officers are trained to see danger everywhere. And eventually they'll create the very tragedies they're supposed to prevent, alright? That's how a wellness check turns into a dog being dead. And the same style of policing that can't find patience with a dog, damn sure can't find patience with people, okay? And history has shown us who tends to pay the highest price when that happens, alright? This officer must have been bit by a dog before, all right? I got bit by Toto from the wizard of Oz one time. All right? One of those little terriers, and I deserved it, because I was on my knees barking at that dog, growling at that dog, and I backed that dog into a corner, and when I got up and turned around, that little terrier ran and bit me right on my lower back. I mean, in the perfect spot with my lower back and the top of my ass connected. So I understand having a healthy pair of dogs, but that does not justify killing Jameson, okay? Because some of y' all police officers have a healthy fear of black people, too. And y' all use that fear to justify killing us. And while we on the subject, some of y' all gonna hear this story and be outraged, and you should be, but please don't have selective empathy, okay? If you can recognize unnecessary violence when it happens to a dog, then you should be able to recognize unnecessary violence when it happens to human beings, too, okay? Some of y' all gonna piss me off, because you're gonna show more passion over a dog being killed than when. Then. Then when, when. When a black person or a brown person is killed in those same encounters, okay? So don't march for a dog and make excuses for a man.

[State Farm Advertiser]

All right?

[DJ Envy]

Some of y' all will demand justice for the golden retriever poodle mix, but debate whether a black person deserved what happened to them. That's the contradiction I don't like. All right? Empathy isn't supposed to stop at species. It isn't supposed to stop at race or politics. If you're. If your compassion has conditions, then it's not compassion, it's preference, okay? And if a dog's life can remind you that excessive force by police is wrong, great. But maybe it's time to ask yourself why that lesson. Lesson becomes so complicated when the victim is black. Please let Remy Ma give the LAPD the biggest. He haw.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He haw. He ha.

[Commercial Narrator]

You stupid.

[DJ Envy]

Are you dumb? Horrible. Man, how you shoot? Ed Bud, man? Ed Bud just rocking a Knicks jersey. Golden retrieval poodle. Make the dog. The dog look. It don't even look threatening. It didn't even look menacing.

[Commercial Narrator]

I said.

[DJ Envy]

What?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I. I don't know.

[DJ Envy]

You want to play, guys? Of course you don't.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, no. I. I don't know. I'm explaining to you. Why? Because I just watched the video. This is the first time I'm seeing it, right? They. They said that there was screaming at the house, so the police came to check on the screaming at the house, right?

[DJ Envy]

When there was a wellness check, right? Woman specifically said, I want you to come do a wellness correct.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Because they said they're screaming upstairs. Oh, my God.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, my God. You never heard that type of noise coming from an apartment building?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Let me finish. The dog comes outside. They say, please put the dog away. They closed the door. Ask him. Six times. I counted six times. Is the door cleared? Did you put the dog away? Please put the dog away. Please put the dog away. They told him six times to put the dog away. The owner did not put the dog away.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, she did.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, she didn't. Because how did the dog get back out?

[DJ Envy]

Because when she came back outside, the dog came running.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That means you didn't put the dog.

[DJ Envy]

Where you gonna put the dog?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You didn't put the dog away. Like you didn't put the dog away. So now you walk back outside and the police already say, that's a big ass dog, right? It's not a little dog. Don't think it's a little. A little dog that I could kick. The dog is a big dog.

[DJ Envy]

It's the size of my dog. You think the dog should have been shot and killed? There was no other way for the police officer. It's a big ass dog.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I told you six times to put the dog away, right? We doing a wellness check. I have my gun out. The dog starts charging.

[DJ Envy]

Why you got your gun out for a wellness check? Envy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Because you got a big ass dog and I told you to put the dog away six times.

[DJ Envy]

It's a wellness check, right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And I told you to put the dog.

[DJ Envy]

Your gun out because I told you

[Charlamagne Tha God]

to put the dog away six times. Because I want to check my gun anyway. I want to check what's going on. And I told you six times. It's not like you said, I put out.

[DJ Envy]

So you pull your gun out for

[Charlamagne Tha God]

six times and they even say, yo, that's a big ass dog. Is a lot count. I want you to count it because I. I'm reading it. It's six times. Did you clear the dog? Did you put the dog away? Did you put the dog away? And then, you know, people with dogs, owners with dogs, they always say, my dog's not aggressive. You're not gonna bite.

[DJ Envy]

You do realize that same excessive force, that same police dollars will lead to black people getting killed all the time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right now we're talking about one specific story, and I'm talking about this story

[DJ Envy]

right here that I just watched this video policing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But I just.

[DJ Envy]

Why do you have your gun out? Why you. Even if you're afraid of the dog, you can't use your taser. You can't hit the dog with your baton.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Are we moving the goal post like. Yes, the dog. We told you to put the dog away. Right. Six times, right. You close the door to put the dog away. No, it's the truth. It's what's fair. Let's open it, let's discuss it. Let's open up the phone line.

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

800-585-1051. I'm just looking. I don't see black, white. I see dog. I'm scared as hell.

[DJ Envy]

But you don't see the excessive force of the. You don't see the excessive force from the police officer.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right. But if I'm an officer and I'm coming to do because somebody said they're screaming upstairs and I don't know what's going on. So I have to do my job so I don't know what's going on. They heard screaming. I don't know if somebody's getting hurt or not.

[DJ Envy]

And by the way, you know the woman that was talking in the video that was saying, I don't know why they came over there like that. That was the neighbor who actually called.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, when you.

[DJ Envy]

Because she knows she only called for a wellness.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

When you call and you hear screaming, they doing it. They're doing a child, they're doing a job and they're doing a check. They see the dog. They asked six times. I've seen six times to put the dog.

[DJ Envy]

You also see the owner and you realize that the owner is not in no trouble. Right. And the owner is saying, oh, I was just excited about the game. We were celebrating. But now that donor just told you

[Charlamagne Tha God]

so you just coming towards me.

[DJ Envy]

But no, there's no but.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Now the dog is charging to still

[DJ Envy]

have your gun up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The dog is charging towards me after I said put this dog away six times because I want to see what's going on.

[DJ Envy]

Kick the dog, hit the dog with your baton. Something you ain't. That's not a little dog.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That dog was bigger than my Dobermans. It was bigger than my shepherd. 800-585-1051. Let's discuss. We're going to clear the lines. Let's discuss who's right, who's wrong.

[DJ Envy]

It's the Breakfast Club.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Good morning.

[DJ Envy]

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