Posted on 07/18/2011 6:49:02 PM PDT by Immerito
MS Police Officer Shoots Chained Dog Six Times March 23, 2011
In Gulfport, MS, police were called to a subdivision to investigate a possible break-in. During the course of the investigation, an officer went into the backyard of a neighbor’s home where she encountered the owner’s chained dog. The owner, who was just coming outside to get his dog, says the officer was standing approximately 30 feet from the end of the dog’s chain when she put half a dozen bullets in the dog.
Samuel Lovato rushed his beloved pet – named Melmo – to the vet but the injuries were too extensive and euthanasia was performed in order to relieve Melmo’s suffering. Mr. Lovato:
“I’ve had her for 11 years. Eleven years. She was a great dog, a good dog and she was just in her yard doing her job and just being a dog.”
Police will investigate themselves, as usual:
Police are looking into the incident, according to Lt. Craig Petersen with the Gulfport Police Department.
“First, we need to conduct our internal investigation,” Lt. Petersen said. “I feel really bad for the gentleman and the loss of his dog, but we’ll conduct the internal investigation.”
He also said that officers have to make life and death decisions in an instant, including assessing threats from animals.
“The officer has discretion in how to protect themselves in these situations, totally up to the officer based on the facts and circumstances of that particular case.”
Sound like they’ve already got the “Justified Killing” stamp all inked up? But wait, there’s more:
There is no timetable for when the investigation will be completed. The officer involved in the shooting remains on active duty.
So I guess it’s ‘Gulfport dog owners, hide your dogs’? Maybe while you’re at it, hide your kids too. I hate to think of a kid being in a yard with a dog where half a dozen bullets are flying.
How am I supposed to ping you if you keep beating me to the punch?
Sorry for the extraneous ping.
More details here:
I'm with you.
Let me start by stating that in my business I worked with many police and sheriff’s departments in two states.
Before leaving the USSA, I saw a distinct pattern of cops
morphing from “good old boys/girls”, to jack booted thugs.
This episode is quite similar to the thug cop that blew away the poor deaf man.
And how is a chained dog a danger to a person standing 30 feet away? Particularly an armed person?
We’re not talking about a dog in midair, jaws about to close on the throat of an officer. We’re talking about a dog that had no ability to retreat or avoid the officer, and an officer that had the ability to avoid and ignore the dog.
LOL...If you want to run with the big dogs you gotta keep up :-)
Dogtapper
What can you really say about this, neighbors yard, chained, 5 shots and in front of the owner. This is just plain wrong, but in a world where humans butcher each other for much less cause, it is not surprising. I don’t care what the officer’s reasoning was it shouldn’t of happened.
I’m with ya. Be hard not to do something if they came in MY YARD and shot my dog. No, I wouldn’t, but only out of extreme self control.
He also said that officers have to make life and death decisions in an instant <<
I was thinking...Jelly or Glazed?.../s
So a dog runs and jumps on you and attacks you while you are picnicking outdoors. You pick up a steak knife and stab it to death. Then you find out it was a police Dog.
Murder one.
How is that for hypocritical.
If they can kill yours then you should be able kill theirs when you feel threatened.
Agreed. This nonsense needs to stop. Now.
Time all cities have independent citizen review boards to judge these out of control gestapo types. It is a foregone conclusion that the pigs have each other’s backs, regardless of how egregious the offense. We see this every day. I’m with the poster earlier. I don’t (and haven’t in years) felt the cop was always in the right. My family had a donut shop in the 60’s/70’s. This “cop attitude” is nothing new. We got to know a lot of very arrogant bullies. One wanted some kid to run so he could shoot him! This was in Amarillo in the mid 60’s.
“They just followed their own internal policies and procedures.”
I have my internal policies on those who would harm my family, too.
You know, what happens eventually in a really “bad neighborhood” is that the residents shoot first at the police because they figure that they themselves are dead already.
Agreed. Chaining is cruel and many states have laws against endless chaining of a dog. They are social animals. Having said that, a chained dog is no threat to anyone. The dog was not loose. These stories are beginning to sound as if any dog on the premises is in danger (inside or outside the house) if the cops come calling. Needs to stop and citizens need to demand a better protocol.
Bravo. That adrenaline rush is just too much for them at times apparently and dogs come in handy for releasing some machismo.
“The dog was not loose. These stories are beginning to sound as if any dog on the premises is in danger (inside or outside the house) if the cops come calling. Needs to stop and citizens need to demand a better protocol.”
If this doesn’t get under control, I think a lot of people are going to start following the “G. Gordon Liddy” protocol.
I plead ignorance. What is the “G. GordonLiddy” protocol?
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