Posted on 03/25/2012 11:38:25 AM PDT by nickcarraway
A Chincoteague police officer used more force than necessary when he shot a pit bull, the dog’s owner says.
“My question is why did the police officer use a gun and not his Mace, his Taser or his stick, or call animal control,” said Amy McDonald.
McDonald, along with her dog, Bullet, was visiting her father on the Virginia island, when Bullet and his brother ventured off.
Chincoteague Police Chief Eddie Lewis said the dog, a pit bull just over a year old, was running off his leash and had cornered a nearby resident and his son in a barn when police arrived, according to DelmarvaNow.com
The chief said the dog growled at Cpl. Kenneth Reese who “just didn’t have a whole lot of time to react.”
The gunshot hit Bullet in the jaw and chest.
McDonald and her 8-year-old daughter were trying to find the dogs when they heard the shot.
McDonald took Bullet to a Maryland animal hospital. She said the dog’s injuries are expected to take as long as eight weeks to heal. She was issued two tickets for her dogs being unleashed. She said the dogs wouldn’t have hurt the officer. “They’re the biggest sissies you’ve ever seen in your life.”
Lewis said the officer was aware of other dog attacks in recent years, including the mauling of a prominent public official’s granddaughter. In 2009, the six-year-old great granddaughter of Accomack County Supervisor Wanda Thornton was attacked by a dog identified in news reports as a pit bull.
“He’s aware of what damage a pit bull will do if they get ahold of you,” Lewis said of the officer.
Ironic.
The lead: “Bullet takes a bullet”
Ping
Cop did the right thing. If it were up to me, that breed would not exist but the next best thing is to kill all the ones that the owners let run loose. The dog is a threat by just being. Better yet, after killing the dog, throw the owners in jail with a fine.
This entire incident is racial, Geroge Bush's Fault, and also due to the fact that today's young people know nothing of our hallowed culture. Has this boy never been taught the immortal poem that starts:
Enquiring minds want to know.
“My question is why did the police officer use a gun and not his Mace, his Taser or his stick, or call animal control,”
Simple. Domestic terrorism directed at the civilian populace by the LEO.
I will never, help my heart, call on the cops unless the situation is so overwhelmingly necessary that a loved one’s life is in danger.
One can no longer know on which side of a situation they’ll come down on.
Take care of yourself.
No that I’ve read the post (I’ve never come across guideline on FR that says that that’s necessary before posting) I can only conclude that Lewis=s is a total moron. Anybody who’s been around pit bulls know they’re one of the sweetest breeds until certain soulless ghouls turn them into killing machines.
Chincoteague Police Chief Eddie Lewis said the dog, a pit bull just over a year old, was running off his leash and had cornered a nearby resident and his son in a barn when police arrived,
That’s reason enough to put down a dangerous animal.
“That’s reason enough to put down a dangerous animal”
I agree. The Cops did the right thing.
When Pit Bulls go venturing and corner humans in a barn, a dead Pit Bull is a highly likely outcome. I can imagine the situation where while dikin around with the taser the PB charges any of them.
yeah that's not gunna happen - if any of us were that LEO? I have no sympathy for venturing Pit Bulls. The owner should have gone all out to recover the dog and secure it.
ping
Thanks for the ping, I hadn’t heard about this and I was on Chincoteague all day yesterday, plus a few days earlier in the week. It either happened a while ago or it hasn’t passed through the information pipeline of the Island (aka bartenders!)
LOL. No arguments from this Corgi owner!
Some time ago I decided that the only reason I would call the cops is if I found a dead body lying in the front yard. And at that point I would warn them that they had better not shoot my dogs or there would be hell to pay.
Amen.
(Did you consider calling the tallow works first?)
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