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….and one more.
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009Memphis cop takes aim at two loose pit bulls with a shot gun, wounds bystander instead.
30 Responses to “….and one more.”
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“The civilian was nowhere in the officer’s line when he fired the shots,” she said, and officers have the right to shoot vicious dogs.
She might as well have finished with “And if a few non-cops should happen to get injured in the process, so be it”.
I’m not a gun guy, so I don’t really know, but firing a shotgun at a moving target in a residential area seems careless.
Well, you have to understand the degree of precision required when shooting a shotgun. It’s completely understandable that someone with the skill of a police officer could fire “several shots” and miss what he was aiming at while hitting something he wasn’t.
That was also a common theme in the previous round-up post — many of the dogs were not killed, but wounded instead. I mean, WTF?? LEOs are one of the few people who get to carry and use guns as part of their day-to-day and yet, they can’t even shoot (semi-large) objects with any accuracy at close range? I guess that’s why they wait until they have people cuffed up or subdued before the Cowboy up…
I think buckshot generally has a shorter lethal range than a bullet and is probably better for shooting a moving target since the pellets cover a larger area than a bullet.
This guy should get desk duty because he such a poor shot, he is a danger to the public.
This is not uncommon. I used to work part time at gun range near Atlanta where it was not uncommon to find police officers struggling to qualify with their weapons.
Careless or not, I’m sure we’ll find that the officer followed proper procedure*.
*Procedure being, of course, “if you can’t tase it, shoot it”.
Perhaps it is an optimistic sign that more dog-wounding stories are being published lately than dog-killing stories.
Maybe LEOs are beginning to shoot to maim rather than to kill, much like the Terminator in the sequel was taught to do by young John Connor.
I hope I did not offend anyone by comparing LEOs to Terminators and in doing so giving LEOs too much credit for humaneness.
More on the Stephanie Lazarus case. Lazarus is an LAPD detective who apparently murdered a romantic rival in 1986, and has apparently been protected by others in the department until last week. She apparently pissed off the wrong person or something. She had her court appearance today.
One paragraph that jumped out of this story:
I’m shocked, shocked I tell you…
Given that police dogs are treated with the same respect as human police officers it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that there are moves afoot to treat human civilians with the same respect as canine civilians.
Telling a small child that dead pet “ran away” isn’t necessarily unjustified, particularly since the kid will almost certainly learn the true story some day. Such a strategic lie saved me from a lifetime of crippling fear of garage doors, for example.
Woops, that belonged in the other puppycide thread. Oh well.
#2 | Dave Krueger-
outstanding!
in several stories, the dog ran when the cop shot (and missed). they should give the cops those aerosol air horns or something…
What they should give cops are those disposable cell phones with the number for Animal Control already in them.
That and special “Police only” ammunition that contains no powder.
God willing, the fucktard cop would have blown his own head clean off. Maybe tomorrow.
#2 | Dave Krueger |
Dave, you are one of the reasons I visit this site. Please don’t ever change.
“The civilian was nowhere in the officer’s line when he fired the shots,” she said, and officers have the right to shoot vicious dogs.
Ummmm… then the civilian wouldn’t have been hit, right? I mean, you shoot a shotgun, it doesn’t hit someone that’s behind you.
Stephen | June 9th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
#2 | Dave Krueger |
“Dave, you are one of the reasons I visit this site. Please don’t ever change.”
Agreed, Dave’s just one, but there are a lot of other really brilliant people on this site.
#10 | Andy Craig |
Someone shot your garage door?
No- a lethargic cat fell victim to it.
I really need to stop reading your website before I try to go to sleep.
+1 to the guy who called you “The Infuriator” a couple of weeks ago.
#16: When the investigator works for the same agency as the perpetrator, shotguns can work in whatever way keeps the pig out of trouble.
If a trained police officer can’t use a shotgun accurately, how much more dangerous would an untrained member of the public be….?
How often do you read stories about private citizens using firearms to control their neighbors’ rowdy dogs? Normal people don’t take out a sidearm and shoot a dog for barking at them, especially not on its owner’s property. A typical person wouldn’t have handled this like the cop did.
Fuck you. The cardinal rule of firing a gun is to know your target and beyond.
I get as fired up about these articles as much as anyone else here, however this is a very rare instance where I side with the Cops. The article said it was a ricochet pellet which as a hunting guide with extensive experience with shotguns can attest that a pellet if it hits a hard surface can richochet in most any direction. I’m a dog lover as much as anyone but it’s obvious from the Firemans testimony that this Pit Bull was doing exactly what has justly given them an evil reputation to begin with. Not every man, trained or not, does their best shooting at an agressive animal charging them, you simply cannot train for that or being shot at with live ammo. Others, such as Professional Hunters in Africa live for it in exactly the same way Swat team members live for the adrenalin rush of a raid with their cool toys and their buds.
I’m certain the statistics of Pit Bulls on the loose that kill other dogs would appal everyone here if they were kept. Even a Pit Bull that is docile around humans cannot be trusted around other dogs, it is their nature.
No, it’s not. I can take you down to the dog park if you don’t believe me. There are numerous pit bulls that go down there that are perfectly fine around other dogs. The proper reaction would have been to get animal control to handle the situation, but the cowboy cop had to pull out the shotgun and start firing in a residential neighborhood. Brilliant.
PC… The firefighter mentioned who lived in the neighborhood mentioned that the dog had already charged him… thus it was displaying aggressive behavior and the cop made the right call. I see numerous post from Radley where the officer I believe says the dog was charging them and they feared for their safety and I believe most are BS, the aggressive behavior here was verified by the neighbor. I’m no more going to wait on an Animal Control officer to come get an overly aggressive dog than I am to hold my fire for the police to come with an agressive uninvited person in my home when I would likewise fear for my safety or the safety of others. There are times when things happen far too quickly to wait on a response from someone who may be 5 minutes away.
I have two seperate friends who have lost high dollar English Setter working dogs (3) to Pit Bulls. The comment about they cannot be trusted around other dogs comes from a friend who has owned 3 pitt bulls. I’ve got an outstanding Setter right now that as a working dog, would take $5,000. to replace… and I’m worried about a rescue pitt bull that lives 1/2 a mile away doing to irrepacable.
Not true at all…or more accurately this is the statment of a bigot. Some pit bulls fall into this catagory. My dog does, she can only be around my other dog and no others. Whenever we take her out she is always on a leash. However, that being said most problems we encounter with dogs involve either a dog off leash or a leashed dog where the owner assumes that my dog is always friendly and does not keep their distance. A quick verbal warning usually does the trick. She is great with people, especially children, very tolerant of them. Oddly enough she does pretty well with the cats, but we do keep a close eye on her when they are together.
Other pit bulls can be fine around both people and other animals. These dogs can go to dog parks, but I’d still advise owners to be attentive to whatever their dog is doing. Don’t check out while talking with friends, read a book, or anything else. These dogs may not start a fight but they will finish it.
In general, I’d advise all people considering a pit bull against dog parks and other off leash places. And be advised that dog aggression can increase with the age of the dog.
Don’t set your dog up to fail.
And for God’s sake make sure your backyard is escape proof. No, a chain link fence probably wont suffice. Pit bulls can be enthusiastic diggers and I’ve seen them climb chain link fences. And these dogs are incredibly strong for their size, even if you don’t think they can break through a barrier, think again. Again, don’t set your dog up to fail, if it escapes it is your fault not the dog’s. Step up and take responsibility and be a good owner.
Not necessarily, I’ve had pit bulls charge me before. I stand my ground and use a commanding tone and tell them “NO!” Most dogs hear that word and knows they are doing something they shouldn’t. Retreating is exactly the wrong attitude.
One thing is not like the other. You have height and weight on a dog, and most pit bulls are not inclined to attack humans. In fact, a pit bull will likely have a more pronounced aggressive display towards humans than most dogs. The reason is that they DON’T want to attack. Against another dog, virtually not display of aggression, just right into the attack. So you don’t need to use deadly force, but instead use your brain.
If you let your dog’s roam loose you are just asking for trouble, IMO. There are more dangers to a dog than a pit bull. For example, cars. So unless you let your dog roam I don’t see the problem. Pit bulls don’t sneak into people’s houses or backyards, make sure your dog is secure and you’ll be fine. Don’t set your dog up to fail.
“Well, you have to understand the degree of precision required when shooting a shotgun. It’s completely understandable that someone with the skill of a police officer could fire “several shots” and miss what he was aiming at while hitting something he wasn’t.”
Must have been a ricochet. I assume the cop was shooting down towards the pavement.
But that said, for the dog to be considered a threat I would assume it would have to be inside of 10 yards and you have to be a really, really, really bad shot to miss a pit-bull sized target at that range. (I know that is a big assumption with trigger-happy cops.)
They’re something fishy here. I wonder if the cop was actually firing a “warning shot” into the ground – which is – obviously- not a good idea in a residential area.
In all probablility… he had the puppy on a leash when the older dog charged as stated and he was probably trying to shoot it with the pup pulling on the leash and affecting his aim. Just an educated guess and I could be wrong.
Reading the responses here.. I believe.. as my meek friend Gretchen once blurted out with authority… “95% of the people who own dogs should not own them”. Urbanite dog owners which I’m assuming are the experts here are exactly what she was talking about but the theory is certainly not limeted to them.
FYI… unfortunately rural dog owners often just let their dogs loose to roam and while it sickens me to my stomach each time I do it, I’ve shot more aggressive dogs that were either just dumped on the highway or by neglectfull owners who let their subsidized predators roam to impact newborn wildlife this time of year.