Criminal law, Society

Camden Police Reportedly Fired Over 30 Rounds To Kill 8-Month-Old Puppy — Hitting Homes and Cars in Terrified Neighborhood

We have another controversy over a police officer shooting a pet. Sherronda Aycox’s 8-month old blue pit bull Capone was killed in a hail of bullets that also hit vehicles and houses, including one house with a family inside. This is only the latest in a long list of such cases.

The police were reportedly responding to a call about a fight between teenagers when Capone ran out of an open door and toward the officers. The officers fired 33 rounds that turned the block into a war zone. She says that one cop stood over the puppy and continued to shoot him.

Neighbors were incensed because of the large number of children in the area at the time. According to one article, one bullet went through a family’s front window and required a grandmother to throw her grandchildren to the floor to avoid being hit.

I am not a big fan of pit bulls and the family should not have allowed the dog to get out. However, the response in this case seems excessive and further endangered citizens in the area.

Source: Courier Post

50 thoughts on “Camden Police Reportedly Fired Over 30 Rounds To Kill 8-Month-Old Puppy — Hitting Homes and Cars in Terrified Neighborhood”

  1. SO Joey,

    Are you saying that a male trying to pet a lesbian is about as dangerous as owing a pit bull?

    I am just trying to figure out why…you can’t own a pit bull….not as a pet?

  2. Pit bulls are dangerous. They were breed to be dangerous animals. They should not be pets.

  4. rafflaw,

    Maybe they are trying to see if they can be featured on the Lawman’s show……lol…roflol……roflmao….

    I hear the Rifleman was already taken….

    Why does it not surprise me that this is in Buddhas’ (red) neck part of the country….wouldn’t it be more appropriate for Texas or Arizona….not to let other rightfully deserving states off of the hook…

    Steven Seagal Lawman – Steven Seagal has never sought publicity for his work with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. However, over a span of almost two decades, he has regularly gone out on patrol and worked major cases. The series will allow fans to ride shotgun with Seagal as he and his hand-selected elite team of deputies respond to crimes-in-progress. Then, when Seagal goes off-duty, the cameras will continue following him as he pursues his many ventures – including musical performances and philanthropic efforts – in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans.

    http://www.aetv.com/steven-seagal-lawman/

  5. It reminds me of that poor guy in NYC several years ago that was shot something like 70 or 80 times. I think he was dead way before 80 shots.

  6. Either three officers emptied their clips at the dog or they had to reload. How much of a threat is a dog you are standing over firing repeatedly point blank? Keep in mind the 33 number is just from the shell casings found. How much of a threat was the dog that a secure backstop in a neighborhood was overlooked?

  7. Yeah, getting bit by a dog sucks. Getting shot by a police officer who panics at the sight of dog sucks much much worse.

  8. OS,
    Well said, but I err on the side of keep guns out of cops hands that don’t know how to handle possible dangerous situations. The owners should be fined for allowing the dog to get loose, but this cop has got to go. What does he do the next time he is afraid of a dog, a suspected prowler or as mentioned above, a wild squirrel?
    Pit bulls are not my favorite, but if they are legal in Camden the onus is on the owner to train them properly as a pet, not an aggressive “defender”!

  9. LG, I understand your point, but the main thing is the discharge of almost three dozen rounds in the general direction of the dog in a residential setting. There is no excuse for that. I have been a consultant to law enforcement agencies for nearly four decades and if something like that had happened on my watch, I would take their weapons away from them, make them undergo another psychological evaluation and get retraining on the range before putting them back on the street.

    Without knowing all the details, I am prone to err on the side of caution with regard to the safety of the public.

  11. Otteray Scribe – I don’t include anything under 35 pounds (Chihuahua, Pekingese) to be a dog… but okay? A distempered dog is either a 1 in 1000 chance or a bad owner. And I never said a Sheperd was a problem.

    I have a problem with pitbulls & more specifically, people that want to own them. They can be sweet, but on the whole, aren’t a great choice as a pet unless the owner knows what they are doing. I think it’s akin to owning a Tiger. Why do dog-fighting rings feature Pitbulls? Pitbulls are banned in many countries for that specific reason – it’s not necessarily the dog’s fault the owner sucks at training it… But regardless, it’s not a great choice for society.

    Take a look at any animal shelter around the US – they are FULL of pitbulls and pit-mixes. A sign of completely irresponsible owners – they don’t even have the decency to neuter or spay their pets. And the shelters know people don’t want them, which is why everything that is half pitbull is called a Lab Mix.

    I’m pretty sure the cops in Camden see almost nothing but pitbulls & just don’t take any chances. If a well-trained golden retriever was running their way with it’s tail wagging, I doubt they would have fired a shot. Reading the article, it doesn’t seem like “Capone” was coming out to play.

  12. ChaZ, can the rest of us with legal guns shoot dogs that run toward us? Or do only cops have that privilege?

  13. Logic Guy, yes it does. Just a few days ago there was a story of an officer opening fire, repeatedly, on a terroristic Chihuahua.

    I once owned a Pekingese with a foul temper. He would bite you a half dozen times while my German Shepherd was biting you once.

  14. ChaZ,

    Good point….Now the next time..I am stopped by the Police…I can quote you…I hope…As I am being shot by the cops….as I feared them and fired first….Right…..

    Oh thats ok….I probably will be dead….

    Maybe reasonable heads should prevail….and no one shoot…just a thought…

    Mike….excellent point….

  15. I’m sure a pitbull named Capone was a sweetheart. Overreaction, yes, but I’m guessing Sherronda wasn’t the Dog Whisperer.

    This happens all the time with golden retrievers and border collies and poodles and… Wait. On second thought, no it doesn’t.

  16. Henry said:

    “Running toward the officers does not mean attacking the officers. Dogs often run toward strangers merely to bark at them and ward off the threat that the dogs perceive. I assume that the officers were wearing boots and could have protected themselves by kicking the puppy if he actually attacked them. Therefore, even a single bullet, carefully aimed, would have been inexcusable.”

    Are you freaking kidding me?

    1. Officers have no way of knowing if the dog could be a physical threat to them, it is far better to err by eliminating any possible threat than “hoping” that you don’t get bitten.

    2. Wearing boots does not protect you from dog bites. Dogs are known to go for legs, calves, arms, etc.

    3. Kicking puppy? You do realize that it is a 8-months old bull pit puppy? It should weight between oh say 35 to 45 pounds. We’re not talking about shi tzu or poodles.

    However, I agree with you completely about too much shooting, and too much have missed their intended target(s). It is totally inexcusable to shoot a window of other building unless it was caused by ricocheting of bullets off any hard surface (bullets do even ricochet off puddle of water, FYI) near the dog. They definitely should investigate why they missed so much.

    They should have control of their dog, so I don’t fault police for shooting the dog. I love pit bulls, and it’s sad that situation have happened.

  18. I came home from work one day to a squad car in my driveway. I ran into the house scared about what was wrong. There were two officers in front of my fireplace, one with a rug and the other with his revolver drawn pointing into the fireplace. Seems we had a squirrel come down the chimney! Seemed like an over reaction to me. Luckily the thing made it back up the chimney before the shooting started.

  20. Running toward the officers does not mean attacking the officers. Dogs often run toward strangers merely to bark at them and ward off the threat that the dogs perceive. I assume that the officers were wearing boots and could have protected themselves by kicking the puppy if he actually attacked them. Therefore, even a single bullet, carefully aimed, would have been inexcusable.

    In any case, these officers should be permanently transferred to desk jobs, if not criminally prosecuted. But, of course, they will get away with it.

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