Criminal law, Environment, Society

Georgia Police Officer Kills Family Dog in Controversial Shooting

We have been following a spate of cases (here and here and here and here and here and here)where police officers have shot family dogs in what some are calling over-reactions to such animals. The latest is “Boomer,” a golden retriever who barked at an officer and ran toward him. The Clayton County Police officer “ordered the dog to stop” and then shot and killed it. The dog had an electric fence and was still near the front porch when shot.

Lawrene King insisted that the dog was a typical golden retriever which barked and never bit anyone.

The officer was on foot in response to a report that someone was selling meat from the back of a white pickup truck. King states that a neighbor said that the officer pulled and fired his weapon almost immediately. Boomer died 25 feet from his spot on the front porch. However, there was no sign indicating the presence of an electric fence.

Dog lovers have been complaining that officers use lethal force too often with barking animals. Police officers insist that they should not have to wait to be bitten before using lethal force. There is a legitimate question as to the failure to use a baton or pepper spray of other means short of firing a sidearm. Such use of a firearm creates an obvious danger to others, including the teenagers who were in the house at the time.

Source: AJC

37 thoughts on “Georgia Police Officer Kills Family Dog in Controversial Shooting”

  1. Mike, it gets even more bizarre. A 64-year-old man in Marin County, CA was tasered for refusing to go to the hospital after falling. His wife told the police officers he had a heart condition but they ignored her and tasered him anyway. His refusal to be transported to the hospital was because he had no insurance and could not afford to go. Keep in mind that this man is in his own home and the police are in his space. Sadly, this is only one of many such incidents. In Oklahoma, an 86-year-old disabled granny was tasered in her own bed and then the office stepped on her oxygen hose almost causing her to suffocate. He claimed she was “threatening” him, apparently causing him to fear for his life.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to5ZJuS-03E&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]

  2. Otteray Scribe:

    Thanks for the information. It’s disheartening to know that the most unlikely example one can imagine has actually occurred.

  3. Mike Appleton: Things like this have already happened. In Seattle, a deaf Native American woodcarver was shot and killed by police for having a knife and he did not drop it when they told him to drop it. In another incident, police in Alabama tasered a deaf and mute man for sitting on the toilet too long.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH_r2sb7JL8&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]

  4. Can you shoot officers for shooting your personal property? Seems reasonable and logical to me….

  5. The world is fortunate that this particular police officer never found himself in a situation in which he was yelling “Stop!” at a deaf person.

  6. Well if you take a step back from this story & look at the overall treatment of not just animals, but people as well by government officials (and people with connections to Government), you can see a pattern where tyranny isn’t far off.

  7. Cops who are terrified of things that move need to find less threatening work to do. Like working in the pantywaist and pettycoat department at Penneys.

  8. Six,

    Re: It’s amazing how Postal workers, Fed Ex and UPS can deliver mail and packages without ever shooting a single dog.

    Interesting point …

    they carry a non-lethal spray

  9. It’s amazing how Postal workers, Fed Ex and UPS can deliver mail and packages without ever shooting a single dog. Clearly this officer is a loose cannon and should be introduced to a new line of work that does not involve carrying a collection of deadly weapons.

  10. If the cop would over react with a dog he’d over react with a person IMO, he needs to find other work before he kills someone.

  11. the dog was probably carrying a suspicious looking tennis ball

    that’s just incredible

  12. The officer ordered the dog to stop? Did he say “stop or I’ll shoot?” Too bad the dog doesn’t speak english.

  13. This officer should be removed from the force, period. His gun is last resort in this situation, not the first resort. The precious non-licensed meat sale can wait 60 seconds until he determines the situation with this “wild animal”! Did the dog get shot on the owners property? Why was he on foot to apprehend felonious meat sales? Something doesn’t add up!

  14. I know Labs are family oriented dogs and are friendly and in my experience have never been menacing and I know they are intelligent,but not to the point where they would understand a strangers command or vocabulary for that matter”“ordered the dog to stop”.

  15. *Sigh*

    Pardon my brevity and precise, if somewhat vulgar, language –

    The unnamed officer here is simply an asshole thug with a badge and a gun.

    If he’s that scared of a dog? What use is he as a protector of anything?

  16. The line between cop and criminal is all too fine. And as mespo said, that “meat sale” was quite the crime in progress. What an….

  18. Here’s a thought:

    If the residents of Clayton County Georgia had a “castle law” in place, would the resident be immune from prosecution had they returned fire in order to protect their dog?

  19. That “felonious” meat sale certainly justified killing the family pet of the well-known vicious breed: the Golden Retriever. Thank god it wasn’t the ferocious Chihuahua. That would have merited the SWAT team.

  20. Poor on the job training … perhaps the officer is the one who needs the electric fence … or perhaps he should be required to post a sign on his uniform … BEWARE OF COP

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