Manatee Sheriff's Office Spokesman Dave Bristow says the department isn't convinced one of the dogs called 911, but dispatchers did receive a hang-up call from the residence. "They're claiming that the dog actually called 911. That sounds a little far fetched," said Bristow. Regardless, officers respond to every 911 hang-up call. They can be dangerous because officers never know what to expect. Sgt. Will Kelley responded to the call.
Viviani's mother opened the door, trying to keep the two dogs inside the house. But 65 pound Ozzie got out. That's where the two sides of the story part ways. "One of them kept coming at the deputy and eventually the deputy had to shoot the dog," said Bristow, adding that the dog was aggressive and not backing down. Viviani says he doesn't believe his dog would behave that way. "They were puppies. They were jumping, and happy, and sniffing around," he said. "And then, I guess, he got scared and shot the one dog."
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The shooting created an uproar. Now, St. Pete officers will be trained to deal with dog encounters by keeping their distance and using catch poles instead of guns. "Unless a dog presents a threat to a human being of death or great bodily harm, officers are not going to be authorized to use their weapons," explained St. Pete Police Chief Chuck Harmon. Viviani says it didn't have to happen. "They have pepper spray. They have a taser," he said. "I don't know why his first things was to draw a gun and shoot my dog right in the head at point blank range." Bristow says based on the department's preliminary investigation, Sgt. Kelley did what he was supposed to do.
4 comments:
Moral of story, if you see a cop, shoot first. It is simple self-defence these days.
"I don't know why his first things was to draw a gun and shoot my dog right in the head at point blank range."
Because like most cops, he has more neuroses and insecurity issues than a whole roomful of teenaged girls. This leads to machismo as a compensation mechanism, a manipulative of which is the handgun.
Glad I could help.
Anonymous, you should have been drowned at birth.
This whole idea that a specific breed of dog is a killer is total and utter nonsense with no evidence to back it up. It is a fact that pit bulls are bred for fighting, but you have to remember that they are taught to fight. A pit bull brought up as a family pet is no more likely to be a killer than any other breed. Sure they are physically suited to fighting, but that doesn't mean they are mentally predisposed to attack. So Anonymous of 12:56AM keep your ill informed opinions to yourself.
Seems to me that the officer was a coward, he sees a dog coming towards him and panics. If the dog had intended to harm the officer it would have done so straight away. The officer's own version of the story clearly states that the dog did not attack straight away.
Poor little diddums shouldn't be allowed to carry a gun anymore.
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