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
Cops mindset; “takem’ out at any cost” verbatim quote of instructor at MPA training center. The same instructor was later relieved after breaking neck of student in a “routine training exercise”.
Cops mindset: “escalation”, stay ahead of the situation, don’t hesitate, act before needing to react.
Put these two mindsets together, add plenty of ego, and roll in the “I’m the law” belief and you get a shooting spree. It’s a miracle that no one else was shot. Shooting a dog is BAD. Shooting up an entire neighborhood is criminal. Throw in the “Dubya Syndrome” “I’m NEVER wrong so there’s no need for me to apologize”, and public trust approches 0.
Chaz,
I did, I apologize; it’s been a distraction filled day.
Joey….
Think 8 month old pup….is there like a difference with the case….did they shoot him? For what reason….It is hard to piss a pup off…
As has been stated…they are gentile dogs if properly trained….how come a shepherd is not on your list?
Robert Corrales, spokesman for Mayor Dana Redd, said officers were trying to disperse a large crowd when an aggressive pit bull charged them.
a “large crowd” yet the dog singled them out.
a “large crowd” yet the officers felt the safe thing to do was fire 33 shots to remove the threat.
does the post office deliver there? what type of armament does the post office issue?
i’m not one much for pitbulls either, but how often is the name used as an excuse.
33 rounds. i guess the pit was on pcp (law enforcements other excuse)
Vick did not have to kill the dogs. He did it because he enjoyed it. ( in testimony of investigator ) All the dogs were rescued. All have been placed in homes except one that was euthanize due to injuries. Some of the dogs are now service dogs going into hospitals. Even a well trained dog can snap ( as people do ) but Pit bulls are low in the ranking of dog bites. ( #1 is cocker spaniels)
Michaelb,
I am sure that there are lots of good pitbulls. My opinion is that they are more dangerous than, say, a labrador or a retriever. Size and muscular structure is what I am basing my opinion (and it may be a wrong opinion) on.
I am sure the nanny dog aspect is why pitbulls are so commonly used as fight dogs. Are you suggesting that the reason why Vick had to kill all those dogs was because his nanny business fell through?
Gyges said:
“Nice glossing over the fact that the police in question fired 30 rounds, apparently with no regard for where those rounds were actually going.”
Gyges, apparently you glossed over my comment about that. I said:
“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.”
Kay, if a dog is really determined to attack other people, sometimes pepper spray will not work. Here’s a link you can read : http://www.alecapolicek9.com/articles/pdf/article-20.pdf
czech80, you are entitled to your opinion about police. But since you never were a cop, then you will never understand what it’s like to be a cop. So I’ll just ignore your baseless over generalization of decent hard-working people who only want to make their world a better and safe place to live in.
Anonymously Yours,
I am confused. I don’t understand what you are saying.
I think pit bulls should not be pets because they are large and strong enough to kill adult humans (and children easily). By the same logic I don’t believe people should have pet bears, lions, tigers, african elephants, etc.
Please explain…
Perhaps cops are just so psyched up by their training and their own propaganda that some of them just enjoy killing things.
As a longtime dog trainer (Shutzhund and police dogs) I can tell you that an 8 month old pup is not likely to actually bite anyone.
At any rate, 30 rounds? And then standing over the puppy and shooting it again and again?
That is the action of a psycho.
That man has no business handling a weapon. Period.
He is far more dangerous to the public than any pit bull.
Another note: The owner of that pit bull should have been arrested for not having control of their dog.
I think the police actually have really delated procedures manuals that probably discussed how to handle such a situation. I bet the police have encounters with dogs every day.
That’s life in the Wild Wild Northeast.
Why don’t cops carry pepper spray and use that when needed?
czeh80,
That was funny…
ChaZ,
Nice glossing over the fact that the police in question fired 30 rounds, apparently with no regard for where those rounds were actually going.
This isn’t a “do police have a right to defend themselves” question this is a “do police have a responsibility to practice basic gun safety” question. Like I said, dog bites suck, getting shot sucks more.
ChaZ,
“All in all, the court system will always favor [police stupidity] over lives [or rights of individuals]. ”
Fixed that for ya.
Testosterone and gunpowder are alway an unstable mixture.
Joeey, where are the facts? A Pitbull was the spanky and our gang dog. It is also the mascot of RCA ( hears his masters voice) They are called Nanny dogs in England to guard over children. There were not bred to be dangerous. They were bred to be loyal.
When fighting in the pit, the handlers stand right next to them.
Henry said:
“ChaZ, can the rest of us with legal guns shoot dogs that run toward us? Or do only cops have that privilege?”
I believe that anyone are entitled to use any means that is legal for self defense against attacking dogs. In the court, it will always be the dog owner’s burden to have their pet under their control. If a dog is not on leash and is running toward you, teeth baring and all that, all bets are off.
Here’s an example, if two dogs got in fight and police are called. The police will ask the owners if any human were hurt/bitten/scratched during the dog fight. If the answer is no, then the police will not get involved and suggest the owners to solve their matters in the civic courts.
However, if any human got hurt by their pet, then police will file a report and possibly have the pet removed by animal control pending the courts’ decision on what to do with the pet.
I had a friend who got bitten by a dog while on patrol. He was placed on paid leave, and he had to underwent a surgery to re-attach his ligaments on his left wrist and hand. He also had to go through physical therapy so he could learn how to reload his Glock with his left hand without any difficulties/pain. He was on leave for 3 and half month, with pay. Add the cost to surgery and physical therapy. Which is why majority of department allows police to shoot any pet that might endanger them physically.
All in all, the court system will always favor human’s safety over lives of pet.
Logic Guy,
I take it you don’t read a lot of newspapers. Cops love shooting dogs. On duty. Off duty. Does not matter. Hell, cops raided a mayor’s house in my home state (MD) and shot his two retrievers in the back. Mistaken identity. Apology? Of course not. But the mayor is happy about two dead dogs and his grandmother being thrown on the ground.
The reason is the average cop is a coward (manhandling grandmothers and shooting sweet dogs epitomizes cowardice) with minimal social skills who believes themselves to be above the law and better than non-cops and will sacrifice any individual over another cop.
Are there good cops (i.e. ones that would stand up to other cops and not stay silent)? Probably a handful left these days. The corrupt unions and cop code root them out pretty quickly (lot of good articles are out there about how whistle-blowing cops have their careers ruined).
It’s a dangerous job? Mainly because them and their moron colleagues turn every situation into a violent conflict akin to a firefight in Falluja. Also, fishermen have a far more dangerous job. And I like salmon dinners. I hate being hit by cops for no reason.
I have been bitten probably a half dozen times at least by numerous types of dogs. Not the end of the world. Grow a pair.
As for people who say they dislike pit bulls and the owners should have kept her in the house? I dislike idiot cops and the state should keep them on a leash as well. Difference is the state will let them loose again and I will be on the hook for their salaries, pensions, legal defense funds, and the settlements owed after they screw another situation up.
I donate to paramedics, firefighters, and the military and have friends in all 3 fields. One commonality. They all hate cops too.