Posted on 12/30/2010 9:30:51 AM PST by moonshinner_09
Fulton County Marshal Antonio Johnson said Thursday the deputy who shot and killed a couple's lab mix while trying to serve a lawsuit is "very remorseful" about the "very unfortunate situation," but felt he was defending himself."From talking to him, he didn't have any other choice because the dog was charging at him," Johnson told the AJC. "The dog was unattended, unleashed, in an open gravel field."
Johnson said he was still going over the report and would not identify the deputy until later Thursday. He said the incident is under investigation and the owners are free to file a complaint.
The deputy went to 439 Edgewood Ave. in Atlanta to serve a lawsuit to someone listed in unit 103, Johnson said.
"The dog came out of nowhere, aggressively," Johnson said. "He tried to step back, but the dog kept charging him. He fired two fatal shots.
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
"So we now have to go to court because they shot our dog," Cullifer's girlfriend, Elizabeth Runkle, told Channel 2. Unbelieveable, the address is no longer valid, dog shot..Atypical
Agreed that the owner should be cited.
However, I just don’t understand all these stories about cops shooting dogs. Haven’t they ever heard of pepper spray?
When in doubt, shoot the dog.
When you shoot a dog, you get paid time off for ‘grief counseling’ and review of the use of your firearm.
Small (Lab) dog, no barking, no barring of teeth, no growling, just "charging". No dog biscuit either.
"Stop, or I'll shoot". To serve (summons) and protect (oneself).
Or dog treats?
Sorry, don’t buy the cops’ story.
Apparently you’ve never heard of pepper spray either.
Cops have always had to deal with dogs, but the rash of cops shooting dogs on sight is a recent phenomenon.
That's because they keep getting away with it. Unless there are consequences for their behavior, they will continue to do it.
If an animal ( yes, a dog is an animal ) comes charging at me, I do not care if it is a dog, cat, bear, deer or squirel...if I am armed, i am putting it down. The owners of said animal would then receive a lawsuit from me..i get sick and tired of irresponsible pet owners bitching when fido gets shot or run over by a car. If you cannot, or will not, control your animal, you have no right owning it, and I have every right to defend myself from it..period, end of discussion..
“Charging”. He’s using that word deliberately. They want to portray the dog as a threat. It’s why he didn’t say “running”.
Pepper spray is a bitch. Just a offhand whiff is really bad. NOw with a dog with a much more sensitive nose...?
The officer also may not have much experience around dogs. I have from my own experience never met a golden retriever that was a vicious attack dog. They are overly friendly to strangers.
I understand not wanting to get bit/attacked by someone’s dog. I’d pepper spray the dog if I felt in danger. Most sprays police would carry can shoot 20-25 feet.
A 40 lb Lab, Terrier mix. Sounds like a real hell hound to me.
If a cop can’t handle a dog like that, he has no business on the force. He’s a coward and a danger to himself and others.
And as usual, the LEO shooter is allowed to go unnamed, and the AJC lacks the journalistic cojones to do any digging on the matter.
My question is this: If there are all these dogs, and they are all so dangerous that trained police officers feel they have to shoot the dogs to protect themselves, what are we ordinary citizens supposed to be doing?
After all, we walk down these same streets, and are confronted by these same dogs. But if a dog comes running after me, I don’t just shoot them. But according to the police, we should all be carrying weapons to protect ourselves from this rash of angry, dangerous dogs.
Sad thing is, the dog might have just been happy to see him, and was running up to great him.
I’ve been attacked by dogs, even when I was a kid, and I’ve never had any trouble fending them off. Sure, I got bit in the arm a couple of times, but I didn’t have to kill the poor things.
I remember once there was a dog loose in my back yard, and the animal control people came, and they were waiting for the police to come, so I went and called the dog and grabbed the dog for her. She was all like “don’t do that, he might be dangerous”, but I figured I wasn’t going to wait for a policeman to come and shoot the thing, when I was sure the dog wasn’t looking to attack people, it was just scared.
Sometimes I see kids unattended, unleashed, in open fields, maybe we should just shoot them as well, we never know when those kids might come running up at us in a threatening manner.
I understand it as well, but again, if the police can’t defend themselves from stray dogs without shooting them, what do the police expect normal people to do? I don’t see the police saying we should all go buy guns to shoot stray dogs, but if we are supposed to run away and call the police, why can’t the police run away and get someone to handle it without killing the dog?
So is the possession of vicious dogs by petty criminals.
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.