Posted on 06/19/2013 8:28:12 AM PDT by Altariel
A dog was shot and severely injured by a Leander police officer Monday night after the officer attempted to serve a warrant at the wrong address, according to the dog’s owners and a statement from the Leander Police Department.
The dog, a German shepherd named Vinny that works as a therapy dog, was shot in the neck and is recovering at the home of his owners in Liberty Hill.
Renata and James Simmons, the dog’s owners, are baffled and distraught by the actions of the officer. According to the statement from LPD, Warrant Officer Woodson Blase arrived at the Simmons’ home on FM 3405 to serve a warrant, knocked on the door and was walking around the back of the house when two German shepherds ran toward him.
The officer feared for his safety and fired three shots, the statement said.
James Simmons said he didn’t know the officer was there until he heard the gunshots. When he approached the officer in the front yard, Simmons said, the officer told him he was there to serve a warrant. Simmons had never heard of the person named in the warrant and has lived at that home for nine years. When he asked the officer what address he was looking for, Blase did not answer, Simmons said.
Vinny was hit once in the neck and was rushed to an emergency veterinarian. The dog is expected to live, but may not walk normally again, James Simmons said.
The incident is under administrative review, according to the statement from LPD.
That’s not the dog you are looking to shoot.
Confidential to Leander Police Chief: when choosing which officer to appoint to serve warrants, pick one who can read addresses.
sad but true.
Serving warrants is such an important job, why is someone to stupid to read doing it. This guy doesn’t sound smart enough for garbageman.
Serving warrants is such an important job, why is someone to stupid to read doing it. This guy doesn’t sound smart enough for garbageman.
Shoot the cop.
You’re assuming the problem is stupidity.
This is happening too frequently for the problem to be stupidity.
These cases are deliberate.
Do that to one of my dogs and I don’t care who you are, you’re a dead man walking.
Probably a lateral transfer from the Post Office...
In this case it seems to have STARTED with stupidity, since the officer, at least from the story, misread the address on the warrant. I agree the police as a whole seem to be all to ready to shoot any dog, anytime, anywhere.
Way back in the early 1990s, a deputy sheriff in Colorado shot my friends' old GS, in their backyard, in front of them and their toddler son.
They were legally tending a burn barrel and didn't know the deputy was there.
He stopped to check on the smoke and walked around to the backyard to see what might be burning.
He surprised them, including their old girl, who trotted over to check out the stranger in her yard.
Not aggressive. No teeth, no charging, just an old, skinny girl hanging out with her family in her yard, trotting over to checkout the stranger.
Who pulled out his gun and shot her dead.
No charges filed, just the standard administrative leave and a transfer.
Hatred. Pure hatred. God, please release me from this burden.
If he “misread” the address, he would have been apologetic, ashamed.
Note his reaction in the article.
“Misread” is now the “official excuse”, not the actual reason.
A country can be judged as to how it treats its pets.
more canned dog food for seniors, y’know.
Wal-Mart. Walk-by cut&run. Back of the knee / hamstring.
Not that I would advocate such a thing but I’ve heard it has been done.
You’re assuming the problem is stupidity.
This is happening too frequently for the problem to be stupidity.
These cases are deliberate.
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Agreed. And I feel absolutely nothing when I read of the death of a cop. Nothing.
First thing is to shoot the dog. Then give a “howdy” anyone home?
What more needs to be said? Case closed.
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