The head of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office won’t be charged with a crime for fatally shooting a dog outside of an apartment building last month.
Jacqueline Maguire, special agent in charge of the field office, shot a pit bull after it snatched her smaller dog from her lap and began aggressively shaking it.
The shooting set off a protest.
The District Attorney’s Office said the investigation is closed and charges won’t be filed, CBS News reports.
It’s not clear whether Maguire will face any repercussions from the bureau.
A police official shot and wounded a dog here in front of the #Touraine on 1520 Spruce Street. #RittenhouseSquare police have transported the owner and the pet to a local emergency facility. pic.twitter.com/vYJg2WkZoo
A pit bull that recently attacked an off-duty FBI agent’s smaller dog also seriously injured another dog less than a month earlier, residents told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Jacqueline Maguire, the special agent in charge of the Philadelphia Field Office, shot the pit bull after it snatched her dog from her lap and began aggressively shaking it outside of an apartment complex.
The shooting led to protests, and the bureau is conducting an investigation.
On Jan. 27, the 7-year-old pit bull named Mia attacked a Siberian husky mix puppy outside of the same apartment complex. The dog required three surgeries and $9,000 in vet bills.
After the attack, management of the apartment complex required the pit bull to be muzzled in all common areas and banned it from a community dog park.
“It’s been a little frustrating,” said one resident who witnessed the earlier dog fight. “Many of us in the building know that this dog [Mia] was not completely innocent.”
The off-duty FBI agent who shot a dog in Philadelphia, prompting protests by animal rights activists, was identified as Jacqueline Maguire, the special agent in charge of the Philadelphia Field Office, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The FBI confirmed one of its agents shot “an aggressive dog” outside of an apartment tower on Monday.
“The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously,” a spokesperson for her office said in a statement. “We are working jointly with the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI’s Inspection Division to investigate the incident.”
The 7-year-old pit bull, Mia, died soon after being shot.
Maguire, who was appointed to head the Philadelphia office in October 2021, has declined to comment while the shooting is under investigation.
Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said the shooting occurred after the pit bull attacked Maguire’s dog.
“She had a smaller dog and a larger dog attacked that dog,” he said. “When [Maguire] tried to get her dog back, I think the dog attacked her and then she discharged her weapon.”
The incident was captured on security cameras outside the apartment building. The video showed Maguire sitting on a bench with her small dog on her lap when the pit bull snatched the dog and began aggressively shaking it.
After Maguire tried to separate the dogs, she drew her gun and shot the pit bill at close range.
The pit bull’s owner, Maria Esser, said the dog died in her arms. Calling the shooting “reckless,” Esser said the agent put her and other people’s safety in danger.
“Mia was leashed and shot at an incredibly close — less than 3-foot — distance,” Esser’s sister, Gabriella, told The Inquirer on Tuesday. “I can’t stop thinking about how my sister, Maria, could have been injured or worse.”
Animal rights activists protested outside the bureau’s field office on Tuesday and called for the firing of the agent who was responsible.
Police plan to refer the case to the District Attorney’s Office once the investigation is complete.
The FBI is conducting its own internal investigation, which is standard when an agent discharges a weapon.
In 2004, Jacqueline Maguire testified about the 9/11 terror attacks.
By Steve Neavling
Jacqueline Maguire has been named special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office.
Before the appointment, Maguire was serving as special agent in charge of the Criminal Division of the New York Field Office.
Maguire joined the FBI as a special agent in 2000 and was assigned to the New York Field Office as a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. A year later, Maguire was the lead agent investigating the five people who hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon.
In 2006, Maguire began working at the Counterterrorism Division at FBI headquarters, serving as the supervisory special agent and then unit chief.
In 2011, Maguire moved to the Washington Field Office, serving as a supervisory special agent. Then in 2014, she became special assistant to the executive assistant director of the Human Resources Branch at FBI headquarters.
In 2016, Maguire she began serving as assistant special agent in charge of the Birmingham Field Office in Alabama, overseeing criminal and administrative issues. A year later, she was promoted to section chief in the Office of Public Affairs in 2017. In 2019, she was promoted to deputy assistant director of the office.
Maguire was twice awarded for service, receiving the Attorney General’s “Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security” in 2006 and the Attorney General’s “Award for Distinguished Service” in 2009.
Before coming to the FBI, Maguire worked at the Office of the Medical Examiner in Suffolk County, NY.
Maguire attended Villanova University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in comprehensive science. At Long Island University, she earned a master’s degree in criminal justice. And at the Naval Postgraduate School, she earned a master’s degree in homeland defense and security.
In 2004, Jacqueline Maguire testified about the 9/11 terror attacks.
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com
Jacqueline Maguire has been named special agent in charge of the Criminal Division of the New York Field Office, where she began her career 19 years ago.
Maguire, who most recently served as deputy assistant director of the Office of Public Affairs at FBI headquarters, joined the FBI as a special agent in 2000 and was assigned to the New York Field Office as a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. A year later, Maguire was the lead agent investigating the five people who hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon.
In 2006, Maguire began working at the Counterterrorism Division at FBI headquarters, serving as the supervisory special agent and then unit chief.
In 2011, Maguire moved to the Washington Field Office, serving as a supervisory special agent. Then in 2014, she became special assistant to the executive assistant director of the Human Resources Branch at FBI headquarters.
In 2016, Maguire became assistant special agent in charge of the Birmingham Field Office in Alabama, overseeing criminal and administrative issues. A year later, she was promoted to section chief in the Office of Public Affairs in 2017. A year later, she was promoted to deputy assistant director of the office.
Maguire was twice awarded for service, receiving the Attorney General’s “Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security” in 2006 and the Attorney General’s “Award for Distinguished Service” in 2009.
Before coming to the FBI, Maguire worked at the Office of the Medical Examiner in Suffolk County, NY.
Maguire attended Villanova University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in comprehensive science. At Long Island University, she earned a master’s degree in criminal justice. And at the Naval Postgraduate School, she earned a master’s degree in homeland defense and security.
