Police Shoot Dog In Front Of Family

WFSB Eyewitness3 News ^ | December 21, 2006 | WFSB

[FreedomCalls]

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Police shot a man's dog in front of his daughter on Wednesday night.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Jamie Roth reported Hartford police officers shot a St. Bernard by the front door of Glen Harris' home. ...

Harris claimed it all began when officers unexpectedly showed up in the yard. ...

"They didn't knock. They ignored the sign, the dog sees or hears (and) protects my daughter, so he ran toward him -- not growling, not foaming at the mouth, not anything," Harris said.

Police told Eyewitness News the officers were investigating a complaint about guns when the dog charged them. Two officers said they ran to the street and that the dog lunged at the second officers, who fired three shots.

Harris said his daughter saw the whole thing.

"While she's running toward the dog, they kill him. She's yelling, 'Why'd you shoot him? I was going to get him. Why'd you shoot him?'" Harris said.

Police continue to investigate the incident. The police report in the incident does not list any guns found at the Harris home and no one was arrested.

[mamelukesabre]

You mean that talking chihawa from the taco bell comercial?

[sine_nomine]

They would foreclose on me. Sorry. Still, your land/house deal is fabulous. I hope it stays in conservative hands.

[norton]

Yuppers. Somehow while in route they decided the sounds we heard were 'kids' (twenty something) playing in the street with (ready?) water guns and that I was a danger to the neighbors because.....I might presumably plan to defend myself(?).

To my knowledge they never bothered to check out the 'kids' or their water guns beyond being told yelling "drop the gun" at 9:30 PM, in the middle of a residential street, was good clean fun. (accidental pun)

At least I retain my faith in the fire department.

[UpAllNight]

--I just hope that @$$hole Sharpeton and his sidekick the "Reverand" Jackson stay out of this. --

Too Late.

---

Sharpton joins protests
The shooting drew angry protests from family members and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Sharpton went to the hospitals where the men were taken and afterward held news conferences. At Jamaica Hospital, the civil rights advocate stood with about two dozen members of Bell's and his fiancee's family.

"I will stand with this family," he said. "This stinks. Something about the story being told did not seem right."

Sharpton said Bell and his fiancee had two children, ages 3 years and 5 months.

At Mary Immaculate Hospital, Sharpton said he was outraged to find the survivors handcuffed to their hospital beds. He said Guzman suffered 17 wounds, though it was unclear how many were bullet wounds, and Benefield was shot three times.

[traviskicks]

lol, yea that would be an active list. :)

I just think this story is especially meaningful because it almost seems like the cops just walked by a house and blew away the dog for fun, like they were hunting or something... Maybe it didn't happen like that, so perhaps I shouldn't speculate, but I'd really like to see an update on what actually happened here, hopefully it is investigated completely and not covered up.

[fnord]

hopefully it is investigated completely and not covered up

good luck on that

[UpAllNight]

--I just think this story is especially meaningful because it almost seems like the cops just walked by a house and blew away the dog for fun, like they were hunting or something... --

WTF?

[lesser_satan]

If I were in a position to move to MO, believe me, I would.

[arthurus]

Retribution for not having the courtesy of having on the premises what the police were seeking?

[muawiyah]

I'd guessed that you run through people's lawns and gardens, so the only question is whether or not you do wheelies in the back?!

[arthurus]

Such quick conclusions are almost a natural because of the police penchant for killing peoples' pets. It is SOP in any raid and is NOT limited to dogs. Cats suffer less because they are smaller and tend to run away very rapidly.

[muawiyah]

When someone "tries" to run down a cop, what's the evidence that such an event happened?

[UpAllNight]

--Such quick conclusions are almost a natural because of the police penchant for killing peoples' pets.--

Yea. I heard them talking in the break room. There was a pool on which cop would shoot the most dogs that shift.

[HairOfTheDog]

Such quick conclusions are almost a natural because of the police penchant for killing peoples' pets.

No, it is not a natural, it's a symptom of a twisted perspective. It is not ~standard~ procedure for police to shoot ~anything~ on raids, let alone a dog. Such shootings are rare, surprisingly so given the percentage of drug houses that also have aggressive dogs. Just because every time it does happen in this rather big country of ours it gets posted on Free Republic doesn't make it common, it means someone is looking for such stories to prove some point.

[HairOfTheDog]

If they had guns the dog might still be alive...

Uh huh... tell me how that works out for you.

[rbmillerjr]

"When someone "tries" to run down a cop, what's the evidence that such an event happened?"

You know it when you see it.

[lndrvr1972]

LMAO. Thank God it wasnt Lassie whew.

[Leatherneck_MT]

lol wasn't thinking of that specifically, but that works

[A Strict Constructionist]

I my opinion I would include that in enforcing the law.

[A Strict Constructionist]

I should have included that you are correct as I understand Citizens arrest.