Wounded girl's mother says police overreacted in shooting pet dog (girl accidentally shot by Police)

AP via Newsday ^ | 9/10/2001 | AP

[TLBSHOW]

The mother of a girl accidentally shot in the leg by police says the officer overreacted when he killed the family's pet pit bull.

However, Syracuse Police Chief Dennis DuVal says the officer was "justifiable, correct and heroic" in subduing the animal.

Markkina Boatwright, 11, was hit in the leg by a ricocheting bullet when the officer killed the dog outside the family's home Saturday night. The girl was treated at a local hospital and released.

Corrine Boatwright said the officer misread the situation. The dog, Elzy, was friendly and it was not attacking her daughter.

[TLBSHOW]

Dog Control? to be feared..........

[AppyPappy]

Geez, there's nothing more friendly than a pit bull.

[doubtfullyhopefull]

Really, I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not but, I have known some pit bulls that were really sweet and super friendly. It all depends on the owner.
Does sound bad that this dog bite another child while being walked? Sounds like "My dog is real tough." or out of control. That said, if dog control comes to my house I'll remember to keep the dogs and the kids inside!

[DWSUWF]

"...However, Syracuse Police Chief Dennis DuVal says the officer was "justifiable, correct and heroic" in subduing the animal..."

All hail heroic hero-officer! Protector of people and guardian of right-thinking workers!

We unite to praise you, hero-sir!

[MissAmericanPie]

Discharging a firearm with children around in a residential neighborhood, I don't know, if I were a cop I think might have risked taking the dog bite.

[TLBSHOW]

That said, if dog control comes to my house I'll remember to keep the dogs and the kids inside!

WELCOME TO THE HILLARY NEW YORK STATE

[WhirlwindAttack]

My pit bull is very well behaved and friendly.
In the 7 years that I've owned him he has not bitten anybody.

[ValerieUSA]

I remember a few years ago in Washington state when the local TV news media were on a big campaign to keep guns away from teens and featuring a story every night about some reckless accident or drive-by shooting by a teen-ager or with a teen victim. The problems were gang activity and unsupervised out-of-control children and lenient juvenile justice, but of course the reporters identified the problem as "guns&teens" complete with a flashy graphic and doomsday music.
Then, right in the midst of the big campaign, a little 6 year old girl is attacked on her street by a big vicious dog. Her 16 yr old brother hears her screaming and runs out of the house hunting rifle in hand to save his sister and discovers the huge dog mauling her horribly. As a kid who had been hunting many times with his father, he aimed the rifle true and killed the dog, then scooped up the little girl and drove her to the hospital himself, getting her there in time to prevent her from bleeding to death. The big brother was truly heroic and deserved public praise for his quick thinking and life-saving action in a dangerous situation.
Did the TV news crews give him his due?... uhhh.. no. The story was briefly read one night without further comment and wasn't brought up again except for an update on the little girl's progress in the hospital. Had a police officer, and not a teenaged boy, shot the vicious dog, he would have been a HERO to the media. Fortunately, the police department did recognize the boy for his heroism.

[Billthedrill]

Gotta go with AppyPappy on this one. The officer knew that this dog had already bitten someone, responded to a call, saw a moving dog, running children, and assumed the worst. Right or wrong, if it were my kids that's what I'd want a cop to do. Dogs that big and powerful already have two strikes against them - it isn't fair, but that's how it is - and LEOs who have to make the tough choice should (IMHO) always choose a dog's death over a person's injury. If it was a bad call, so be it.

[Osinski]

The pit bull had already bitten another 9 year old child earlier in the evening and had had no shots. He was not under control when the (shall we say clueless) mother let him out running wildly, whether playfully or aggresively...does anyone really know? Have to go with the cop on this one.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Geez, there's nothing more friendly than a pit bull.

Sounds like the little girl was playing with her dog in her own yard and the cop came by and blew it away.

I hope the city has lots of liability insurance.

[FlyVet]

My pit bull is very well behaved and friendly. In the 7 years that I've owned him he has not bitten anybody.

Maybe so, but they are high-liability critters. I've known 3 diffent people who raised their pit bulls very gently, and these were angry dogs. Very mellow and quiet with the master, but very distrustful of strangers. Pity the child that walks across his lawn on a bad day. Once they decide they're going to rip someone to shreds, they don't stop unless you kill them. They were bred to fight to the death. Some insurance companies won't even deal with them as far as liability insurance goes.

[TLBSHOW]

I just found this story from late last night. It is the first release. I will try a syracuse paper too.

Dog Bites; Girl Shot

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

September 10, 2001

Syracuse, N.Y. - A Syracuse police officer accidentally shot an 11-year-old girl Saturday night while trying to subdue her family's pit bull.

Moments before, the dog had bitten a 9-year-old girl on the arm, according to the Syracuse Herald American. The officer was aiming at the dog but the bullet ricocheted and struck Markkina Boatwright's lower leg.

Boatwright was listed in good condition in University Hospital.

The girl who was bitten was taken to the same hospital, but police did not release her name nor the name of the officer.

Police Chief Dennis DuVal said neighborhood children hid in an automobile to protect themselves from the dog and it bit the 9-year-old. Officers shot and killed the pit bull.

[Texasforever]

I hope the city has lots of liability insurance.

Well the dog owner will need it to pay the family of the little girl that the dog attacked.

[Dick Bachert]

If they ever come in HERE like that, they'll probably kill my 90# American Bulldog who has only ONE vocalization (besides his bark). The dog's a pussycat and never made a bad move towards a human but when he's happy, sad, upset -- whatever, he GROWLS! More of a low, gutteral yodel -- then he licks your hand.

Gee, I hope they never come in here like that. If they do, they'd better be wearing ski masks -- and kill me, too!

[Bush2000]

As far as I'm concerned, we can exterminate all pitbulls on Earth and I won't lose a night's sleep. There's no question that dog-bite and mauling incidences are higher with pitbulls than other breeds. Many insurance companies won't offer you residential insurance if you own a pitbull unless you take out expensive riders. And frankly, everyone that I've known who's had a pitbull has been a smug, macho simpleton. Granted, that's a generalization and I'm quite sure there are reasonable people with pitbulls ... but it's been my experience... ;-)

[AppyPappy]

No doubt. But would you trust your life with someone else's pit bull?

[AppyPappy]

Police were called to the home about 9 p.m. Saturday after the dog attacked a 9-year-old girl, Meranda Maddox, who had to be treated for bites to her right forearm and upper right arm.

Yup. Sounds like it.

[from occupied ga]

I don't know, if I were a cop I think might have risked taking the dog bite.

Nope you wouldn't if you were a cop, you would be first and foremost concerned with your own skin, and everyone else a distant second place. This from another earlier thread:

U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Fatalities per 100,000 Year 1999
Commercial Fishermen	162
Timber Cutters	154
Air Pilots	65
Construction Laborers	37
Garbage Collectors	34
Truck Drivers	28
Electricians	12
Gardeners (non farm)	11
Police	11
Carpenters	7

[riley1992]

Sounds like the little girl was playing with her dog in her own yard and the cop came by and blew it away.

Did you even read the article?