Dog injured in Oakland freeway shooting dies

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - A dog caught in the crossfire of a freeway shooting in Oakland Friday night, has died. Layla, a Shepherd mix, was an emotional support animal for Nakaya Kiser of Alameda. Kiser has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Kiser said Layla gave her a sense of security.

“[With Layla] I could be alone at home and I was fine. And now I can’t even think about going back there now without totally freaking out,” Kiser said.

The dog was in the passenger seat of a Hyundai Sonata in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 980 near I-580 Friday night. The car was being driven by Kiser’s friend, David Freitag. Freitag says that suddenly, the passenger side window shattered.

“I felt an impact on my neck like a giant fist. Layla flopped over. Then I looked down and saw the blood,” Freitag recalled. Freitag said that he never saw the shooter or a suspect vehicle and that he can’t imagine that he was targeted. Freitag said Layla shielded him from one bullet, that may have killed him.

“She took a bullet in her shoulder and in her hip. From where she was standing the shoulder one could have hit me,” Freitag said.

“She saved my friend’s life. If she wasn’t standing there in the car he would probably be dead or handicapped,” Kiser said.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the shooting, but there have been no arrests.

Layla was taken to an emergency animal hospital where she died Sunday morning. Kiser said the loss has left a void in her life that’s going to be hard to fill.

“She just was an unbelievable dog,” she said. “She was an angel, she brought joy to people.”