Family says police killed dog for no reason

by Yizuman 70 Replies latest social current

• 

  Eric

  Yeru,

  Having myself been bitten by "a playful dog wagging it's tail"

  Oh My God!

  And yet, thankfully, here you are, having escaped the vicious beast somehow and are alive and well to post about it.

  So, how big of a hole did YOU have to blow out of the dog's skull, in order to survive?

  The cop felt threatened by the dog, he shot it, GET OVER IT!

  That's not a justification. It was an over-reaction by a panicky individual who should never again be put in any situation where he may feel threatened. He can't handle it. He ain't cop material.

  Eric
• 

  SheilaM

  One other thing in most counties/states a person calling in say for example a suspected DUI driver on a cellphone , the officer can follow the car but HAS TO OBSERVE for themselves the violation. In this case there was no alarm, no violation seems to me they were stopping the family illegally. Also how many people rob a gas station or anywhere with their family and the families dogFamily night out or something....<this may get me smacked > but I think the officers were to eager and way too nervous <possible Mr. Doughnut break needed>?//

  Makes me wonder if a child had been in the car and had come wandering out would he have also shot it???? The officer had a billy club and pepper spray.......deadly force hmmmm I am a pet lover but here in KC where they have jumped the gun more than once, I see them calling animal control BEFORE they ever remove the people from the car then they shut the door until animal control gets there. Also most officers can distinguish breed of dog and WHY didn't they ask??? Why didn't they have the owner call the dog??? All I know if someone shot MY DOG when I had done NOTHING wrong I would make them pay dearly. Now if I had committed a crime well. geesh I deserve it then.

  <edited to add more than 2cents worth>

  Edited by - SheilaM on 12 January 2003 13:36:37
• 

  CC Ryder

  Tink had just told me that she heard on the news two nights ago that the Officer who shot the dog had killed two other dog's in previous incidents. The only thing the police went on was that phone call from the person who saw the money fly away from the back of the car. There were no reports from the gas station that a robbery occured! So I think they should have had a second unit go check out the gas station, while the other trigger happy officer secured the area to wait for more facts. Secure the area means CLOSE the car door, not shoot the poor dog in the head.

  CC
• 

  seawolf

  http://www.unknownnews.net/surrender.jpg

  Edited by - seawolf on 12 January 2003 14:35:37
• 

  Yizuman

  I like to point out some wrongs that happened from the get go.

  First the caller calls 911 and reports money flying out of the car, the dispacher ASSUMED there had been a robbery. The dispacher was at the wrong for assuming without obtaining facts.

  Here's what I would have done, I would relay the call to say there had been money that flew out of the car, I would NOT ASSUMED that there had been a robbery. What happened there made the situations even worse than what it appeared to be.

  The officer who made the felony stop, plus 5 other cops who arrived as back ups were all in the wrong.

  One thing they did right was they had to handcuff the occupants to secure the situation, too many cops have been shot dead for not securing the individuals for their safety as well as the occupant's safety.

  But there's one problem. The officers were already told of the dog that was in the car, the family asked the officer to shut the car door. They should have done that. Shut the door and call animal control. Let the animal control take control of the dogs. Then the officers can be free to search the vehicle. The officer and occupant both will have to exercise self control and patience to wait for animal control. I know both sides wants this to be over with, so they all can move on. But patience is the key so that no one gets hurt.

  Now, the shooting is what made me sick. Here's the facts.

  3 seconds after the dog jumped out of the vehicle, the dog was shot dead.

  I'm talking like this....

  1/1000sec - dog hops out of the vehicle

  2/1000sec - dog twirls around and finally sees the officer

  3/1000sec - dog approaches the officer with it's tail wagging.

  BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

  The dog is shot by a shotgun, not once, but 3 TIMES! How big of a hole does the dog have to have in order to be considered dead?? This is OVERKILL! This proves to me that the officer wanted to kill the dog. He ignore the family's plea to have the car door shut. The number of seconds from when the dog got out of the vehicle to the number of shots the dog received tells me that the officer was WAITING for the dog to come out and have a excuse to get a boner for killing a animal. He THINKS he has an perfect excuse to kill something and he THINKS he was in a perfect situation to finally shoot something living and get away with it.

  Some poster said this is not his first time he has killed a dog, he has done this 2 other times before.

  The officer in question already had a back-up of 5 officers, he could have easily allowed the dog to approach the officer as a test and the back up officer have their guns cocked and ready if the dog starts to BITE him, the dog is dead in mere seconds. The officer was covered.

  If the officer did not want the dog to approach him, use a mace spray instead of killing it. Mace is very effective against a dog. All officers are equipted with a mace spray, they have it for a reason, USE IT!

  The video of the felony stop did not show to me that the dog was barking at the officer, it did not snarl at him, he did not assumed the attack position by going into the run position in order to jump the officer. The officer would have clearly seen this from the get go that this was a friendly dog. No, he didn't give a crap, he wanted ACTION! He wanted BLOOD! and he got what he wanted. I hope he's happy!

  I also hope he's happy with the fact that the family was devistated by the shooting. That dog was a 16th birthday gift to their son. He's 18 now. If you have seen the video, according to the transcript that I read since I can't hear the video, it was said that they all screamed when the dog was shot and killed. The father jumped up screaming, "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! YOU SHOT MY DOG! YOU SHOT MY DOG! WHY DID YOU DO IT?? OH MY GOD!" The officers grabbed him and plastered him back on the ground. There was alot of screaming and crying in the video.

  But I can guarantee you that the officer will be terminated, if he doesn't resign first.

  The Govenor clearly saw the video, he knew the officer was wrong and he has already issued an apology to the media.

  The family is going to sue, the Govenor will have no choice but to settle the case.

  By the way, I wonder how the caller who called 911 feels about this whole situation now? I bet the caller will never dial 911 ever again after seeing this on the news.

  Yizuman

  Edited by - Yizuman on 12 January 2003 15:18:26
• 

  CC Ryder

  Here is the web site for The Tennessean newspaper with all the pertaining articles to the incident and video clips which are very disturbing, so beware.

  http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/03/01/27564945.shtml?Element_ID=27564945

  http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-p=all&sp-s=1&sp-date-range=14&sp-a=000539cb-sp00000000&sp-q=officer+kills+dog

  CC

  Edited by - CC Ryder on 12 January 2003 16:39:29
• 

  Cassiline

  CC Ryder

  Thanks for the full video.

  Not only is this family traumatized after having at least 5 officers point weapons at them, then handcuff them when they get upset about the killing of their dog and try to go to him, the officers then slam them into the ground. Nice show for the child eh?

  All because the police DID NOT confirm a robbery and a nosey ass citizen assumed because he saw cash a robbery was committed. I wonder how that nosey ass citizen feels now?

  edit, format again, sorry

  Edited by - cassiline on 12 January 2003 19:14:44
• 

  Yerusalyim

  All because the police DID NOT confirm a robbery and a nosey ass citizen assumed because he saw cash a robbery was committed. I wonder how that nosey ass citizen feels now?

  The LAST person to blame is the guy who made the phone call. THAT friend, is called being a concerned citizen. ESPECIALLY in post 9-11 if you see something suspicious, CALL IT IN. It can save lives and money. Now, I'm sorry as hell that this family was traumatized like this and I'm sorry the dog had to die, I'm SURE Cookesville will give them a nice little chunk of change for their troubles. BUT DON'T start bellowing about people minding their own business or being nosey. NO ONE who is out in public has the reasonable right to expect privacy. This is well established in the courts. If a citizen sees something that just doesn't look right he/she is duty bound to notify authorities. Lets face it folks, money flying from a car just doesn't look right.

  Watching the film, I would have shot the mut too.
• 

  maximumflash

  Yeru this is Cassiline using hubbys account.

  Yeru

  Do you believe that the concerned citizen only called the police and said the following?

  Ah hello, I just saw some money coming out of the back of a car perhaps the man left his wallet on top, and is losing all his money.

  I do not believe this is what concerned ass said. I believe he or she embellished the situation. To have the police respond as they did with weapons drawn I believe that they most likely said something to the dispatcher to have him or her send police to respond as they did.

  Probably something along the lines as this:

  Hello Hello?? This is Nosey Ass here. And I am sure that a robbery just took place. The station wagon just went screaming out of the gas station at a about 100 MPH. There is hundreds of dollars flying out of the back of the car. Uh I saw the whole thing happen. Hurry, hurry catch the crooks.

  Of course I have no idea what was said. But IMO this person did not call and say the first statement because the police would not have reason for alarm.

  Watching the film, I would have shot the mut too.

  Any man with a weapon can shoot something, but using discretion and assuring your target is hostile is another. And I am not speaking of war.

  As for 9-11, I have, here on base called authorities when a man left a briefcase next to the PX. Did I call them and say, A briefcase is here and a man left it on purpose. Im sure there is a bomb in it because it he wants to blow up the place.

  No when I called EOD I said, A briefcase has been left unattended by the PX. Nothing further added to upset the situation.
• 

  Yizuman

  Do you believe that the concerned citizen only called the police and said the following?

  Ah hello, I just saw some money coming out of the back of a car perhaps the man left his wallet on top, and is losing all his money.

  I do not believe this is what concerned ass said. I believe he or she embellished the situation. To have the police respond as they did with weapons drawn I believe that they most likely said something to the dispatcher to have him or her send police to respond as they did.

  Probably something along the lines as this:

  Hello Hello?? This is Nosey Ass here. And I am sure that a robbery just took place. The station wagon just went screaming out of the gas station at a about 100 MPH. There is hundreds of dollars flying out of the back of the car. Uh I saw the whole thing happen. Hurry, hurry catch the crooks.

  Of course I have no idea what was said. But IMO this person did not call and say the first statement because the police would not have reason for alarm.

  Watching the film, I would have shot the mut too.

  Any man with a weapon can shoot something, but using discretion and assuring your target is hostile is another. And I am not speaking of war.

  As for 9-11, I have, here on base called authorities when a man left a briefcase next to the PX. Did I call them and say, A briefcase is here and a man left it on purpose. Im sure there is a bomb in it because it he wants to blow up the place.

  No when I called EOD I said, A briefcase has been left unattended by the PX. Nothing further added to upset the situation.

  It is my understanding that the dispatcher thought there was a robbery. I don't see anywhere from the report that the citizen who made the 911 call stating that there was a robbery. The citizen told the dispatcher that she saw a car leaving the gas station with money flying out of the car. The dispatcher ASSUMED there was a robbery.

  But that's not the point. The point is the cops did the right thing to take control of the family. What the cop did wrong was he did not shut the door and called animal control to get a hold of the dog so they can conduct a search of the vehicle.

  Another wrong was that the cop ASSUMED he was going to be attacked. Not all dogs attack people. What if it was a poodle instead? Would you still shoot it anyway? Judging the cop's reported history, he shot 2 dogs before and judging what he did, he'll shoot any kind of breed.

  Yizuman

  Edited by - Yizuman on 12 January 2003 20:59:22