I don't know what happened there. I just know that if the dog had been on a leash, under control, nothing would have happened. I have to believe the guy feared for the safety of his kids.flintknapper wrote:TxRVer wrote:He said the dog ran up to his kids growling and snarling.
Seems unlikely given the account from other witnesses:
TxRVer wrote:Brianna Reyes, the owner of the pit bull, and another girl were with the dogs. Reyes admitted the dogs were running loose and playing in the water, but said they were not acting aggressive toward anyone. Witnesses in the park at the time of the shooting backed up Reyes’ claim.
“I see those girls in the park every day around this time,” said Jody Caudle, a witness. “I come to the park on my lunch breaks to practice guitar and I see them. The same girls are always walking them without leashes and the dogs are always well-behaved.”Only the dog owner said otherwise.
Actually...no! The story (as written) clearly states that "witnesses" (plural) refuted his account. We are not told how many witnesses but it is plain that more people said the dogs were not a threat than the ONE officer who says they were.
TxRVer wrote:Sounds justified to me.
Perhaps it was, I was not there and reports are conflicting.
“There were lots of people all around and those dogs weren’t bothering anyone,” one witness said at the scene. “We weren’t watching them because they weren’t a threat to us.
Anna Slaughter, a witness, described what she saw.
“The dog wasn’t right up on the children, but he was closer than the rest.
TxRVer wrote:I agree completely that the dogs should have been on a leash. However, if the scenario were a bit different, say... one of the dogs simply pulled the leash out her hand and approached the children, then what would your position be. Again, the standard for deadly force against an animal is NOT the fact that it is unleashed.
It could have been avoided if she had kept her dogs on leashes.
Why weren't the other dogs shot?
Did the officer attempt to put himself between his children and the dogs?
Did the officer consider the angle of the shot and what was beyond the dog?
Sounds like it might have happened on a sidewalk, not the best backstop for a bullet.
I most certainly will not judge the officers actions...because I wasn't there, but it seems a lot Pit-Bulls get shot because "they're pit-bulls" and not necessarily because they are being a real threat. Too, if you want to start a "I'd shoot a pit-bull in a second" conversation then just bring up subject among most LEO or SWAT, you'll get an earful.
I'd still like to know more about this shooting, but I suspect the subject is already dead as far as the Police Chief is concerned.
As far as witness accounts, I copied this from the article. "None of the witnesses, however, said they saw the events leading up to the incident."
All other witness accounts don't matter. The dogs may have been friendly at every other time. No one else saw what happened when he said his kids were attacked.
I don't know who's telling the truth but why would he shoot a dog in the park if it wasn't attacking his kids.