Posted on 02/09/2006 1:56:37 PM PST by MRMEAN
TAMPA - When Maria Rosas heard gunshots coming from the back yard of her east Tampa home, her first thought was that people were getting shot.
Once the situation calmed down, Rosas realized the targets of the gunfire were her dogs. The person shooting was a Tampa police officer.
That officer, Joe Blanco, was part of five-person narcotics team trying to get into a house on 26th Street. A person inside the house was wanted on a warrant, Lt. Craig Roberts said.
Because Rosas' home at 3406 N. 10th St. is adjacent to the one Blanco was trying to get to, the officer tried to cut through her back yard. That's where Rosas' two dogs - Kio and Conan, both mixed breeds - were kept.
Roberts said the dogs attacked Blanco so ferociously he shot at them. Blanco fired about six shots, Roberts said, hitting Kio in the back leg but missing Conan.
The dogs bit Blanco several times on his elbows, arms and hips, and he was taken to Tampa General Hospital. Kio was taken to Hillsborough County's Department of Animal Control for treatment and tests.
Roberts said the person the narcotics officers were pursuing got away during the altercation with the dogs.
A sign near Rosas' driveway warns of a guard dog on the premises. Blanco entered the yard from the opposite side and was probably unable to see the sign, Roberts said.
It was the second time in two days a local law enforcement officer shot a pet dog. On Saturday, Hillsborough County sheriff's Deputy Jason Roberts shot and injured a pit bull mix lunging at him while he answered a call in Riverview.
Rosas' brother, Juan Ramirez, said 1-year-old Kio was a stray that his sister rescued. Because Kio is unregistered and may not have had vaccinations, Rosas could be fined, Roberts said.
When you're in the dog's yard, your ass belongs to the dog.
A mix of what and what? Lousy reporting.
What complete Maroons!! I hope she sues them! Big shot drug raid....whoopppeee.
Too bad the dogs didn't finish him off.
Had it been my yard there might have been an "accidental" shooting of an intruder who was shooting at my dogs.
I hope the cop has to pay for the vet bills.
Hmmm...
Somethings not adding up. Cop felt endangered by dogs and shot them to stop them. He missed one and wounded the other. Did another copper shoot them or did they figure out a way to subdue the dogs that didn't involve blasting them away? If they did, why wasn't this the first solution? All that recon and they didn't have a plan to deal with the dogs. smart.
"A mix of what and what? Lousy reporting."
Some dogs are mixed to such a degree that the only accurate description other than "mixed breed" would be mutt.
Police raid wrong house
"Hmmm..."
Keystone Kops creating an uproar in the backyard next door, ya think?
Is it now SAP for cops to shoot the dog of every suspect they encounter?
I'd guarantee if the press knew that the mix was either Pit or Rott, et al - they would have mentioned it.
.
That's how it works in my yard
Good dog!
And non-suspects. Some of these scaredy-cats shoot at anything that moves when they're pumped up on adrenalin.
Blanco sure looks dopey here. He fires six shots, and hits one great big dog in the back leg.
Don't want this goofball ever trying to cover me in a firefight.
so a dog comes into a wild west cowboy bar, with a p.o'd look on his face and the bar tender asks, "What can I do for you, pal?"
"Well", says the dog, "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw.
Extra treats for the dogs. I bet they'll be much friendlier the next time a policeman shows up in their yard. Not.
OK so let me get this straight here... a police officer, in the process of enforcing blatantly unconstitutional laws, felt it necessary to shoot and kill the pets of a totally innocent neighbor in order to fulfill his perceived duty?
The WoD fanatics are almost as scary as the Islamofanatics.
ping
Like hell! Her dogs were doing what they were supposed to be doing, guarding her property. They weren't out roaming the streets. Any fine should be on the officer who was trespassing.
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