Trigger-Happy Cop Kills Family Dog!

[Snakeeyes]

Cop shoots, kills family dog  | ajc.com

Cop shoots, kills family dog
A Clayton County mother of six said the family dog did what he always did when he saw someone. He barked.

But when "Boomer" started barking and running toward a police officer Saturday morning, the officer shot the dog and killed it, Lawrene King told the AJC Sunday night.

“He’s a golden retriever," King said. "He barks, but he’s never bitten anyone.â€

A Clayton County police officer was on foot patrol on North Shore Drive when the dog jumped off a porch and started barking and running toward the officer, Capt. Tina Daniel said. The officer ordered the dog to stop and when it didn't, the officer shot and killed the animal in its yard, Daniel said.
The officer, whose name was not released, was responding to a call reporting a suspicious person, police said.

A resident called police to report that someone was selling meat from the back of a white pickup truck, King said. The friend of one of her children had parked his white truck in front of the family's home, and King believes the officer was checking it to confirm it was involved.

"My neighbor saw the whole thing," King said. "He was shocked how quickly the officer pulled his gun."

Boomer was killed about 25 feet from his spot on the front porch, close to her front door, King said. He was not on a leash.

King said she wasn't home when Boomer was shot, but three teenagers were in her house. King said she received a frantic call from her 19-year-old son Jonathan.

"Mom! He killed my dog," King said her son screamed.

Lawrene King said police officers were still at her home when she returned.

The family had an electric fence, but there was not a sign alerting the officer it was there, Daniel said.

“I have really worked hard to teach my children about authority. I’ve also taught my children you take responsibility for everything you do," Lawrene King said. "We’re all human, but don’t try to justify.â€

 

[busa dave]

What a pos cop. If crap like this ever happens at my house there won't just be a dead dog lying there.

 

[MO-BUSA]

sometimes i think people react just too quick, but on the other hand there are leash laws and that why they have them, fence or no fence...

 

[Busa1166]

Don't know about where they are at. There is no law requiring you to keep your dog on a leash in your own yard in FL. Outside of the yard yes in the yard no.

All I'll say it on it only one side of the story posted.

 

[k03gsxr750]

??? Why does this seem like the start to a cop bashing thread?

 

[RussellJ]

Vonderbach is gonna want this guy hanged

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

??? Why does this seem like the start to a cop bashing thread?

Possibly just reason to bash one cop , the one who did this ?
I wasn't there and didnt see it so I can't judge or lean either way?
Cop is on foot and a dog leaves his porch and approaches him barking.
It's a decent size dog as most retrievers are.
So was the cop justified in being scared and defending himself ? Maybe ?
Was the cop trigger happy and killed the dog too quick ? Maybe ?

Sad turn of events for all involved !
Merry Christmas , and one everyone will remember for long time to come .

 

[VIPER]

the cop wasnt justified in shooting the dog till it left its owners property. There will and should be lawsuits. The dog is not required to be on a leash on its own property. I dont know any state or town that says your dog has to be leashed on your property. Like others said though this is only one side of the story though i highly doubt a golden retriever would seem so aggressive. Sounds like a trigger happy rookie to me.

 

[busabeast]

i just feel sorry for the family who lost a member this close to the holiday...
probably gonna taint christmas for a while now...
and my .02: the cop was wrong- shoulda at least let the dog leave its property- woulda been more inclined to side with the cop then.

now let me qualify that with this: i appreciate the job he's doin for me and everyone else- i know its dangerous...

 

[Vonderbach]

Vonderbach is gonna want this guy hanged

Not really. The officer had no way of knowing that the dog was going to stop. As far as he knew, the dog was a threat to his life. The electric fence was buried, not visible. The shooting was justified, but I would have preferred he used a taser. If the cop had waited for the dog to leave the property, he could have already been bitten. (There's also a side of me that says "dude, it's a Golden Retriever....it might lick you, but bite? Rarely.")

It's sad really, because the owners obviously had the dog contained in a invisible perimeter fence. I feel badly for them, but it's not the officer's fault.

the cop wasnt justified in shooting the dog till it left its owners property. There will and should be lawsuits. The dog is not required to be on a leash on its own property. I dont know any state or town that says your dog has to be leashed on your property. Like others said though this is only one side of the story though i highly doubt a golden retriever would seem so aggressive. Sounds like a trigger happy rookie to me.

There was no fence. There was no reason to expect the dog to stop. The "electric fence" referenced in the story was one of those invisible fences. As with all things legal, the decision is based on reasonable expectation of harm. The cop had a reasonable expectation based on what we know.

 

[skydivr]

It's a shame it happened, but should this officer lose his job over it? no.

The big dog was loose and he charged the officer. Benefit of doubt goes to the officer.

 

[Goodwrench]

I have to agree with Vonderbach on this. I had a similar experience except I was on my bike.

When I bought my house, I noticed the guy across the street had a large german shepard sitting in the front yard, no fence, and no signs in the yard. The guy was outside so I didn't think anything about it. The next day I pull my bike out and when I pull out of my driveway and start up the street, the dog comes running down the yard barking and showing teeth. I nail the throttle and haul azz down the street. I'm pretty pissed at this point thinking about what could have happened. I didn't get home until late that evening, but I made it a point to catch the guy outside the next day. I tell him about what happened and he says "oh he won't bother anybody, we have an electric fence and he won't leave the yard" I then explain how bad this could have been if I had wrecked the bike trying to get away from the dog and he would have been responsible. I also explained in a kind way that if my son was out riding his bike and this happened, I would have put the dog down. Turns out he was a retired SBI agent and the dog was his service dog. He apologized and said he understood. The next week, he put the electric fence sign up in the yard and we got along great after.

The moral of the story is, the officer did not have any way of knowing this dog would stop before leaving the yard, and no matter what kind of dog it was, he did what he had to do. Pepper spray or taser would have been a better choice. The owner is ultimately responsible for the animals actions and if they chose to not have some type of sign in the yard, then it is their fault the dog is dead.

just my .02

 

[zellabusa]

Cop should be fired, FIRED I say. If he can't control himself better than this, whats gonna happen when its a human that he's frightened by. A retriever? Give me a break. Are cops not trained to use a progressive use of their weapons? His pepper spray would have turned that dog into an instant root-hog. Just one more reason for me to have no respect for these thugs that think that they are above the law.

 

[m_ridgeway]

Not really. The officer had no way of knowing that the dog was going to stop. As far as he knew, the dog was a threat to his life. The electric fence was buried, not visible. The shooting was justified, but I would have preferred he used a taser. If the cop had waited for the dog to leave the property, he could have already been bitten. (There's also a side of me that says "dude, it's a Golden Retriever....it might lick you, but bite? Rarely.")

It's sad really, because the owners obviously had the dog contained in a invisible perimeter fence. I feel badly for them, but it's not the officer's fault.



There was no fence. There was no reason to expect the dog to stop. The "electric fence" referenced in the story was one of those invisible fences. As with all things legal, the decision is based on reasonable expectation of harm. The cop had a reasonable expectation based on what we know.

they can use this to teach to use oc instead of shooting it. my mailman has sprayed a few dogs that chase, bark, and nip at him, never shot one. just a bad situation, the things we dont know about why he was there couldve added to the stress of the situation, and caused a poor decision.

 

[Commuta_Busa]

it's tragic what happened but I don't blame the cop. The dog should have been leashed/supervised. There should have been signs for the burried electric fence as well.

 

[GHILLIE]

not really. The officer had no way of knowing that the dog was going to stop. As far as he knew, the dog was a threat to his life. The electric fence was buried, not visible. The shooting was justified, but i would have preferred he used a taser. If the cop had waited for the dog to leave the property, he could have already been bitten. (there's also a side of me that says "dude, it's a golden retriever....it might lick you, but bite? Rarely.")

it's sad really, because the owners obviously had the dog contained in a invisible perimeter fence. I feel badly for them, but it's not the officer's fault.



There was no fence. There was no reason to expect the dog to stop. The "electric fence" referenced in the story was one of those invisible fences. As with all things legal, the decision is based on reasonable expectation of harm. The cop had a reasonable expectation based on what we know.

+1000

 

[Tufbusa]

Not really. The officer had no way of knowing that the dog was going to stop. As far as he knew, the dog was a threat to his life. The electric fence was buried, not visible. The shooting was justified, but I would have preferred he used a taser. If the cop had waited for the dog to leave the property, he could have already been bitten. (There's also a side of me that says "dude, it's a Golden Retriever....it might lick you, but bite? Rarely.")

It's sad really, because the owners obviously had the dog contained in a invisible perimeter fence. I feel badly for them, but it's not the officer's fault.



There was no fence. There was no reason to expect the dog to stop. The "electric fence" referenced in the story was one of those invisible fences. As with all things legal, the decision is based on reasonable expectation of harm. The cop had a reasonable expectation based on what we know.

Holy Cow man, I have been impressed with your posts since you appeared on this site and agreed totally with almost everything you had to say but I cannot disagree more with you on this one.

A Laborador Retriever a "Threat to his life"? A grown man with a handgun and a family oriented breed like a Lab was a threat to his life? Is there a single case of a Lab killing a grown man or anyone for that matter in the country?

I'd have no problem with him shooting the dog if it actually bit him but shooting a barking dog in it's own yard while you are on the street? Bad judgment!

I see this in an entirely different light and I have nothing but contempt for this knothead carrying a weapon!

 

[RussellJ]

The shooting was justified, but I would have preferred he used a taser.

Thats what I was thinking but I think a taser might still kill a dog also... Im not familiar with how much it would take to kill a dog thought with a taser. I think the gun was a bit much but I wasnt in the cop's shoes.

 

[Vonderbach]

Holy Cow man, I have been impressed with your posts since you appeared on this site and agreed totally with almost everything you had to say but I cannot disagree more with you on this one.

A Laborador Retriever a "Threat to his life"? A grown man with a handgun and a family oriented breed like a Lab was a threat to his life? Is there a single case of a Lab killing a grown man or anyone for that matter in the country?

I'd have no problem with him shooting the dog if it actually bit him but shooting a barking dog in it's own yard while you are on the street? Bad judgment!

I see this in an entirely different light and I have nothing but contempt for this knothead carrying a weapon!

You're saying that he was in "his yard," but that's not entirely accurate. He was in the yard while moving towards the officer (according to the officer.) Without a fence in the middle, there is no reason to expect that the dog would remain in the yard. And if the dog was being aggressive as suggested, then I can't see how it matters what breed it was. All dogs bite. And while I personally wouldn't be very threatened by a Goldie, I can't say for certain since I don't know exactly how it went down. Golden Retrievers do bite. Yes, it's very rare, but they absolutely can.

Like I said above, there should have been some measure of force, but I can't be sure what exactly went down. Both sides will be biased obviously. Should the officer have used better judgement, absolutely. But if you know any officers, ask them how many times they've been attacked or pursued by a dog. It happens more than you might think.

 

[Vonderbach]

Thats what I was thinking but I think a taser might still kill a dog also... Im not familiar with how much it would take to kill a dog thought with a taser. I think the gun was a bit much but I wasnt in the cop's shoes.

I don't really know either. But someone suggested pepper spray, which would also work just as well...maybe better. Certainly a poor judgement.