Father says Fargo firefighter assaulted his son over incident involving family dog

(Fargo, ND) -- A Fargo father of a nine-year-old boy says his son was assaulted by a Fargo firefighter after the family dog relieved itself in the firefighter's yard next door. 

"He ended up open-handedly slapping our son in the face, right across the side of the face. It caused him to fall. He came home crying at that point and was really distraught and upset," said Trevor Graening.  

Graening says his 9-year-old son Noah Walker suffered a concussion in the incident and is now emotionally traumatized. Graening says he called police, who questioned Noah, his sister and the firefighter. Fargo Fire Chief Steve Dirksen says the incident is being reviewed and would not comment further. The police department has not confirmed whether their department is investigating the allegation. 

Original Air Date: 
Friday, July 22, 2022