Posted on 01/10/2003 1:38:54 AM PST by kattracks
COOKEVILLE, Tennessee — A family has filed multiple complaints after police mistakenly pulled them over as robbery suspects, then shot and killed their dog as it bounded from the car.
A tape released by authorities Wednesday documents the incident, which began when a Tennessee state trooper and three Cookeville police cars pulled over James Smoak and his family as they drove home Jan. 1 from a vacation.
The trooper suspected the Smoaks' dark green station wagon was connected to a robbery, Tennessee Highway Patrol officials said.
Troopers ordered the family out of the car, and the video shows James and Pamela Smoak and their 17-year-old son, Brandon, obeying. They came out with their hands up, got down and were handcuffed.
About a minute after the traffic stop, one of the dogs — a bulldog-boxer mix named Patton — jumped from the car and raced toward Cookeville police officer Eric Hall, who was holding a shotgun. The tape shows that Hall stepped back and fired just before Patton reached him.
The dog appeared to be wagging its tail as it ran toward the officer, the tape shows.
Patton died from the shotgun blast. And as it turns out, the Smoaks had not committed a crime at all.
Police had suspected them based on a report of money flying from their car as it sped down Interstate 40. They later discovered Smoak had simply left his wallet on the car while pumping gas.
Smoak, of Saluda, North Carolina, declined comment Wednesday. He said he is pursuing legal action and has been advised not to discuss the case. The Smoaks have filed complaints with all agencies involved in the stop.
Hall, the officer who shot the dog, has contended he had no choice when the animal charged him.
He has been reassigned to administrative duties pending an independent review. But the Cookeville Police Department's internal investigation found that Hall did not use excessive force.
So true. Cops today are a citizens worst enemy, next to street vermin.
Why did they cuff them on their knees in the road?
It was said they laughed when they blew the dogs head off.
Cops are un-elected PC hacks who raise municipal revenue... nothing more.
Looks like Cookeville needs more ex-cops than just Hall.
If you're going to disrupt and be a wise-ass, at least do it with some class. Your "question" was gratuitous (look it up) on its face and makes absolutley no sense.
How does complaining about a case of alleged police misconduct rise to the level of rejecting services that one has paid for (i.e', our tax money) through excessive taxation, anyway?
Confucius say: "When stone thrown into flock of swans, bird squaking loudest is swan hit with stone." If you are LEO who rightly is sick and tired of being dumped on by an ignorant and unappreciative public, my hat sincerely is off to you after a snappy salute.
BTW/FWIW, I have doubts as to whether the officer which shot the dog was totally in the wrong. He apparently had only a split second to make a decision concerning protecting his own life and limb. Adrenaline can be your friend or a fearsome master, and it is not possible to predict how anyone will react in a given situation.
Indeed, a dog who enjoys combat often wags his tail prior to and during an attack -- as I (wearing heavy padding) learned in the process of being properly nailed by a large K-9 during a training exercise.
That said, the thought of a dog being blown away by 00 buckshot makes the stomach of this animal lover churn....
Tears and prayers for the family, the LEO, and the dog. Anyway, all the best, pahdnuh....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.