Posted on 07/09/2013 10:37:24 PM PDT by Altariel
An off duty police officer has shot his neighbour's dog dead in front of it's 12-year-old owner, after it allegedly attacked him and his wife.
The Fitzhenry family, from Harris County, Texas, say their beloved boxer dog, Gunner - who they described as a big softie - was shot by the off-duty Houston police officer on Friday along a pathway.
Houston Police Department Officer Mark Condon claims the four-year-old dog charged at him and his wife, after it escaped from the Fitzhenry's garden by accident.
But according to 12-year-old Dalton Fitzhenry, who family say treated the dog like a brother, the pet had only wanted to play.
The Fitzhenry family, from Harris County, say their beloved boxer dog, Gunner, was shot by an off-duty Houston police officer on Friday along a pathway
They say the four-year-old dog escaped from their garden by accident after their children opened the gate and went to pick up a ball they had been playing with
Mr Condon, said: 'The dog charged us and attacked me, my wife and one of our dogs.'
He fired at the dog, striking it in the neck, Khoun.com reports.
He claim details of the injuries he, his wife, and dog suffered, have been recorded by police.
The Fitzhenrys said Gunner was one of the family and losing the animal was like 'losing an older brother' for their children. They now plan to lodge a formal complaint with HPD.
Dalton, 12, said the officer had shot the dog at point blank range. The animal died on the way to a vet.
He added: 'He just pulled it out, like, point-blank range and shot.
'Gunner didn’t have the chance to run.'
Dalton’s parents said the boy was screaming and crying as he watched the ordeal.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
My comment was based on the info posted at the time. Since then more info has come out.
So idiots like you you post crap like you did are working with two did it IQ’s
Sent from I phone. Errors made are acknowledged. But even with your room temp iq you got the message.
It did not use to be normal.
There was a time when they followed the principles which Robert Peel, Founder of Modern Policing, set forth.
Now, they shoot dogs.
It’s only a matter of time before shootings of our fellow Americans become as commonplace.
If the dog attacked the people, then provide the evidence.
Should be simple enough to do, if that is the case.
If he’s willing to concoct a baldfaced lie that the 12 year old was not present, it’s a fair bet he’s lying about the “injuries”.
It might have attacked the people, it might not have. The sparse information provided in a news article which may or may not be accurate is not enough to know for sure. But don't let that stop you from making up your mind.
Given the lack of provided evidence, it is logical to assume the dog’s owners, and by extension, their dog is innocent of the crime of assaulting a human.
Given the evidence that the officer *did* shoot the dog, the burden of proof is on those supporting the government employee to demonstrate the shooting as justified.
So, how about it? What is the evidence that the government employee was injured?
I agree with you 1000%. We’re halfway down the slippery slope. It’s much like serial killers start out with animals.
Huge numbers of people carry concealed - far outnumbering the number of police, and I’ve never heard of a single one doing this. It even seems a rare event for criminals during a break-in.
In contrast, the number of instances in which cops do so makes it sound almost like it is SOP. Certainly, thinking they are immune from any consequences, it seems to have become their default position.
I think the development of a militarized police state in this country, and the sort of people who are attracted to that as a career, is different from the way it once was in the US. I think the routine killing of dogs like this is one manifestation of the change, and a sobering one.
A FReeper who is a mail carrier said (on another cop shoots dog story) the other day that he carries doggie treats, and they have never failed to placate the dogs on his route.
Its a national epidemic - we need civilian review boards, residency requirements and an END to police and other civil service unions.
Jeff - I dunno about you but I was stunned by the certitude that so many on this thread felt which rendered investigation of the incident unnecessary - just string the cop up and be done with it. I feel I don’t have enough information and yet many on this thread feel that more than enough information was OBVIOUSLY present.
Gee....I can’t imagine why the cop may not want to be tried in the court of public opinion when the public reacts like THIS. SO reasonable - so ready to wait for the evidence before making a decision. I am sure the police departments legal council approves of holding a trial online complete with photographs that ‘experts’ in the community can review for medical significance etc. Yup - that’s what attorney’s always advise, right. Never “Wait to have your day in court”, it’s always “Find the nearest mob that already has decided you are guilty and try to show them your side - preferably on the Internet.” Yup. That way it’s easy to find a jury pool that is not biased if it does go to trial - yes, get medical pics out there without an impartial medical opinion present especially if the newspapers have already decided you are guilty and will use their platform to ‘help’ the public understand information.
It’s not possible that the cop didn’t see the kids because the gate was closed most of the time during his walk (until they walked past it) and once he was tangling with the dog, not see that the gate was now open with kids there. IMPOSSIBLE. Can’t happen. Ever. Case closed.
Oh it doesn’t look like the cop et. al was hospitalized and OBVIOUSLY that must mean that there was no reason to shoot the dog. There is no way in these United States that the injuries were minimized because the cop shot the dog BEFORE it could bite big ugly chunks of flesh or actually kill the other dog. NO WAY. The mob is so ginned up that lack of being hospitalized can ONLY indicate the cop was wrong, not that he acted in time to spare them from grievous injury. And it’s easy to tell, isn’t it, with a dog biting and grabbing how much blood loss, how deep the wounds etc. what with the dodging and panic. Yup.
No mention of the fact that the officer doesn’t have a prior instance of shooting a dog and said “This is the first time in 17 years of being a police officer that I have shot my weapon, except at the firing range.” He’s just the serial dog killer type, right?
Information and objective data that is missing from the story - ignore it if you want to fit in on this thread. Rave like it’s DU here and you’ll BLEND.Don’t wait for information - it’d be too late then! /sarc off
Sorry...I just needed to vent because I am mortified at the DU type response on this thread. Never thought I’d say that about about FR thread.
A pity you did not do your homework before you ranted.
http://www.khou.com/news/cnn/HPD-officer-shoots-pet-boxer-after-alleged-attack—214672271.html
HARRIS COUNTY —A Harris County family is devastated over the death of their beloved boxer, which was shot by an off-duty Houston police officer.
Both sides agree that the dog was shot Friday along a walking path in the 14800 block of Cascade Bend Lane near Cypress.
According to the Fitzhenry family, their 4-year-old boxer named Gunner got out of the backyard when the children opened the gate to retrieve a ball.
Gunner approached a neighbor, who was walking his dog with his wife. There are two very different stories about what happened next.
The neighbor, HPD Officer Mark Condon, told investigators the boxer attacked them.
“The dog charged us and attacked me, my wife and one of our dogs,” Condon said in a statement released late Monday afternoon.
Dalton Fitzhenry, 12, said his dog was not threatening the officer and only wanted to play.
“All he was doing was, like, smelling the dog like he always does,” Dalton said.
Condon fired once, striking Gunner in the neck.
“He just pulled it out, like, point-blank range and shot,” said Dalton. “Gunner didn’t have the chance to run.”
Gunner died on the way to the animal emergency clinic.
Dalton’s parents said the dog was like a member of the family.
“And he was screaming and crying, and the cop just had the gun in his hand saying, ‘It’s OK, I’m a cop,’” Kim Fitzhenry said.
“I lost what to them was like their oldest brother,” said Kevin Fitzhenry. “And they lost him in front of them.”
Condon said he, his wife and their dog suffered injuries, which were documented by the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office.
“I have owned dogs and have been an animal lover my entire life. The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt an animal, especially someone’s pet,” Condon said in a statement.
The Fitzhenry family plans to lodge a formal complaint with HPD.
Neighbors on Cascade Bend Lane said their kids and pets often play in the front yards. Fidel Castillo was reigning in Bella, his playful Doberman saying, “That was Bella’s best friend.”
Castillo was referring to Gunner, who lived just two doors down at the Fitzhenry home.
“I’ve been out here many times with my 2-year-old and Gunner would just come out and play with us, lick us,” Otalia Castillo, Fidel’s wife, said.
Several families said Gunner was friendly and some helped draw pictures of the boxer with wings and a halo.
“He’s just a big baby. He was just a big baby,” Fidel Castillo said.
*****
Casey Kelch · Clearfield, Utah
Let’s see proof of these sustained injuries. I knew this dog, and he was a big, dumb, friendly dog that would slobber you to death. Incidents like this are what happens when the police face no consequences.
****
How ironic; the same child who would be believed and whose testimony would be taken seriously if he said he was molested is not believed because he dared suggest a government employee had shot his dog without cause.
Clearly, to some, word of a government employee > word of a child.
“And if someone makes any aggressive moves towards a police dog, they are charged with the crime of assault on a police officer.
It’s time for the people to be completely FED UP with double standards that favor government agents over the people.”
Bingo.
And yet, some here on Free Republic are *still* outraged, outraged that we are speaking against these double standards.
Apparently, this cop knew this dog; if true, this is more disturbing.
Rosary Goodrum · Texas A&M
The officer had met Gunner before and knew him by name. He’s now claiming that he hadn’t but he had threatened them before.
Rosary Goodrum · Texas A&M
I have known this dog for two years and have never once seen it aggressive. I have seen it around their newborn when it was born and tons of children and other dogs. I’ve had my dogs over to play with it a couple times and it has always been friendly toward them. I find it funny that the officer’s story keeps changing. Originally he was just in fear of his life, then his wife got injured, then his dog got attacked, now he got attacked and so did his wife and his dog. I also find it funny that he has been using legal jargon to describe the situation. There is not a human aspect to this. Instead, he is using what he thinks will clear his name. He does not mention that he fled the scene after shooting the dog. He also doesn’t mention that Dalton was running toward Gunner to get him when the officer shot Gunner. I find it very irresponsible to discharge your gun with a child running toward the animal. Also not mentioned is the fact that their 5 year old was also watching.
There would be none left when it was complete.
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Are there images of the alleged injuries caused by the dog?
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