Posted on 10/08/2009 9:23:32 PM PDT by kingattax
LA MARQUE, Texas -- A police officer shot a woman and the dog she was playing with when the officer thought the dog was attacking the woman, witnesses told KPRC Local 2.
Witnesses said a La Marque police officer was driving along 5th Avenue near Walnut Street at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, after she helped a person around the corner.
The officer heard people playing and screaming, witnesses said. A 23-year-old woman and her friend were playing with a pit bull named Sugar.
Witnesses said the officer got out of the car and fired several shots toward the dog.
"The young lady started hollering and just at that time a police officer was coming down and thought the dog was attacking the lady," witness Dennis Wallace said. "I can't say that I would do anything different. The (officer) drew down and started shooting. I couldn't say I wouldn't have done that."
The woman's parents said one of the bullets hit the ground and fragments ricocheted, wounding her in the upper body. She was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital, treated and released.
Sugar was also wounded. The dog's owner took Sugar to a vet and it is expected to recover.
La Marque police declined to comment about the shooting, but said the 30-year-old officer has been with the department for about a year and a half.
The Galveston County District Attorney's Office and the Galveston County Sheriff's Office are investigating
oh. i thought maybe the pitbull was playing while the office shot a woman.
AND IT’S NOT EVEN MARDI GRAS YET!
Shoot first, ask questions later. That’s just his training kicking in, there. (noise in background) Hey! (spins around, pulls gun) Freeze, mother...Jim, is that you? Do you know how close I came to blowing your head off, buddy?...Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, we’re trained to react in milliseconds. It’s muscle memory. You’re welcome, John Q. Public.
Barney
or this...
WHAT!? PIT BULLS DON’T PLAY!!!
Tackleberry!
The bitch is a menace and needs to be put down. Or at the very least, fired
This sounds like a deterioration in the standard that one needs to keep a dog incase the police come to one’s dooe so that the officers will have the dog to shoot and don’t have to shoot a person. This officette shot the person anyway. I guess the union contracts are starting to give the officers more perks.
...another “she” “officer,” who had scattered rounds all around targets at ranges. ...been there and saw that a few times. It’s really funny, when it only happens at ranges.
Chet99 must’ve called the cop. LOL
The officette was just taking advantage of the perks of her job.
I hope I never get a flat tire around this stellar cop!
Cops just love using their bang-bangs on dogs. Something dangerously wrong with an awful lot of cops in this country.
Sugar's fun was abruptly halted, upon hearing gunfire. Little did she know that she too was a target.
People who panic shouldn’t be cops!
Huh? If I did this, I would be in prison for a very long time.
Yet it is perfectly acceptabel for the officer to shoot before they know what is going on?????
You may believe in 2 sets of standards, but I don’t.
You can't blame the officer for badly misjudging a situation, firing shots inapporpriately, firing and hitting the supposed victim, firing without looking for verification that his/her (incorrect) judgment is proper? All because of the breed of the dog, I presume. I wonder if you'd react similarly to improper police shootings in urban neighborhoods.
It also can get tragically out of hand.
Live on the edge, die on the edge.
IMHO the officer reacted as any reasonable person would have.
The results were nearly tragic.
I believe such conduct of wrestling dogs and mock dog attacks in public is highly inappropriate, no matter where it is conducted. Do it at home in your yard of you have to.
A reasonable person would NOT have fired before at least ASKING the "victim" in some way if they needed help. Personally, when I come up kids wrasslin'/playin' like that, I yell LOUDLY to get their attention. If they don't, then I can take further steps. I do not start hosing them down with a flamethrower on sight.
Come on!
YOu think she just drew down and opened up?
YOu ever receive police training? HuH?
No , I support this officer, while all the rest of you arm chairs have tantrums. LOL.
Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
Fire him. Sue him into Bankruptcy, then sue him again.
Then prosecute his dumb ass under 18USC242 for Violations of Civil Rights under False Color of Authority.
Frigging idiot.
Sure looks that way.
Very doubtful.
Police training.
Think about it.
Good, but I wouldn't want to get too close to her wearing anything that looked a La Marque police uniform. :)
So you have what she was trained to do, and I have what she did do.
You’re right, of course.
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