An Elkhart Police officer shot a dog Friday evening that charged and jumped on him, police said.

According to our reporting partners at The Elkhart Truth, a fight broke out in the area of Middlebury and Madison streets around 6:45 p.m. and police responded to the scene. 

The Elkhart Communications Center reported the fight involved up to 13 people but was mostly over by the time police had arrived.

The Elkhart Truth says an Elkhart police officer, who was not named, was walking back to his patrol car after conducting an investigation into the fight when a dog, which possibly was a pit bull mix, charged at him, said Elkhart police spokesman Sgt. Chris Snyder. The dog allegedly jumped on the officer, leading the officer to draw his gun and shoot the dog multiple times.

After the dog was shot, the owner transported it to an emergency animal care clinic in Mishawaka for treatment Friday evening. The dog was still alive as of Friday evening but its condition was unknown Saturday morning.

The officer involved in the incident remains on full duty while police continue investigating, Snyder said.

The Elkhart Truth says this marks at least the third time since October that Elkhart police have shot a dog.

In November, a pit bull that was on the loose was shot and killed after police said it charged several people near McNaughton Park.

In late October, a 10-month-old pit bull was shot 10 times and killed by an Elkhart police officer in the dog owner’s front yard. The officer believed the dog was charging him, while neighbors and the owners say the dog was running the opposite direction.