LYNCHBURG, Va. — A prosecutor in Virginia says a Lynchburg police officer was justified in shooting at a man and killing his dog while trying to take him into custody during a mental health episode.

The News Advance of Lynchburg reports police responded to an extended-stay apartment complex in February after a woman called saying a violent man had stopped taking psychiatric medications.

The Virginia State Police investigation depended in part on body camera recordings. Officers entered the apartment and ordered the man to drop a knife.

Instead of showing his hands, the man reached for something and an officer fired, killing the dog he had in his lap.