PDA

View Full Version : NC - Town of Eden off duty police chief shoots neighbor's family dog in his back yard.




Anti Federalist
05-21-2011, 10:52 PM
And if it had been a Mundane?


Eden police officer accused of shooting dog while off-duty

http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/may/22/eden-police-officer-accused-shooting-dog-while-dut-ar-1055370/

An Eden couple is still wondering exactly what happened after finding their son’s dog shot dead in a neighbor’s yard.

Bobby Ritchie said he was watching a NASCAR race May 14 with Neko, a two-year-old, 70-pound American bulldog boxer mix, sleeping between his legs. He and his wife Linda Ritchie were watching Neko and Zoe, a rescued black lab mix, for their son Chris Ritchie while he was on vacation.

Bobby said decided to take his son’s two dogs and his dog across the street to his mother’s house so they could run in her fenced-in backyard. He said this was something he had done on many occasions, without a leash. Around 6 p.m., his dog went into the backyard while Neko and Zoe were playing and started to chase each other through the neighborhood.

“I was right behind them, chasing them, and they were just at the top of the second street,” he said. “I thought they crossed the street and ran over to the golf course area, so I ran back into the house where my wife and her friend were sitting and told my wife to get her car keys because Chris’s dogs got away and they’re running in the neighborhood.”

After driving down the street in her car, Linda said she came back to her house to retrieve her cell phone just in case Bobby called with news of finding Neko and Zoe. When she got back to the house, she found her friend on the front porch asking, “Who was doing all that shooting?”

“I said I didn’t hear it, but as soon as she said it, I knew the dog had been shot,” Linda said. “My friend said she heard the shots as I was backing out of the driveway to look for the dogs the first time. That’s how fast it happened.”

Linda said she pulled up at the last house on the left on Camellia Lane because that’s where her friend said the shots were heard. She said she found a lady standing in the driveway talking to someone when she asked her if she had seen a brown and white dog come by.

“She said she had seen the dog but that he wasn’t there, so I asked her which way he went, and that’s when she said wait a minute and got her husband,” Linda said.

According to Linda Ritchie, Eden Police Officer Jamie Buffkin came outside in his police uniform and asked her if she had a pit bull. She said she told him no, and he asked what he was.

“I told the officer, ‘He is an American bulldog pit bull mix, not a pit bull,” Linda Ritchie continued. “That’s when the officer said, ‘I thought he was a pit bull – I shot your dog.’ I just immediately fell apart.”

When asked why he shot the dog, Linda said Officer Buffkin told her Neko lunged at him.

“This is the most gentle dog in the world and he has never lunged at anyone; he has never been in a dog fight – he’s a house pet,” Linda said. “He told me if I got my husband, he would let us come back and get the dog. He also said, ‘I didn’t shoot the black one.’”

Linda said went over and got Bobby Ritchie and told him what happened. Bobby Ritchie said he didn’t realize how many times Neko had been shot until he picked him up to bring him home.

“After I laid the dog in our driveway, I went back over and asked the officer how many times he shot the dog. He said four times because the dog kept lunging at him. There’s no way the dog could keep lunging at him (after being) shot that many times. So I lost it. I got real upset and said some things to the officer I probably shouldn’t have, because he asked me to leave his property.”

A citation was written to the Ritchies for a city ordinance violation of a dog running loose. According to the incident report filed with the Eden Police Department, Buffkin said the dog charged at him while he was on the back porch. Buffkin said two dogs, one black and one brown and white, had cornered his dog on his back porch. According to the report, he said he tried to move the dogs on, but when he walked out the door, the dogs started barking at him. Buffkin said the brown and white dog then charged at him.

The report states Buffkin fired four shots from his .40-caliber Glock off-duty weapon. It also states the dog then turned and went out into the yard and laid down. There are no mentions of bites, cuts or bruises inflicted by the animal in the incident report.

The Ritchies said there are many discrepancies in the police report and the story they were told by Officer Buffkin the night of the incident.

“If the dog wandered off his deck and went down and flopped down in the yard after being shot four times, I would assume his head would be pointing away from the deck,” Bobby said. “The dog was laying in the yard with his head pointing toward the deck. He also didn’t mention anything about him thinking the dog was a pit bull in the police report.”

Linda Ritchie said she may have seen a different perspective if the officer had offered any type of apology.

“He has yet to apologize to any of us,” she said. “If he had been a little more remorseful, I might feel a little differently. But it was just like ‘He’s a pit bull. I shot him. Take it or leave it. It’s my yard.’”

Linda Ritchie said they have contacted the officer’s superiors at the Eden Police Department, Eden’s city manager and two councilmen. She said they are also considering hiring an attorney, but will wait to see if the city will offer a thorough investigation into the events.

According to the City of Eden Code of Ordinances, a vicious dog is defined as: “Any dog that has made one or more unprovoked attacks on a human by biting or causing abrasions or cuts of the skin, or any dog who makes repeated attacks on farm stock or pet animals.” An at-large dog is defined in the Code of Ordinances as off the property of its owner and not under restraint.

Linda Ritchie formally addressed city council members at Tuesday’s meeting about the incident. City Attorney Erin Gilley advised against any council members or city employees speaking about the situation. She said the police department is currently conducting an investigation and the results are pending.

Pericles
05-21-2011, 10:59 PM
When I saw the title, I thought "they're shooting their own dogs now?"

I think I'll buy a case of 5.56mm in honor of the fallen dog.

Chester Copperpot
05-21-2011, 11:03 PM
now these dog murders are happening daily

wtf is going on

Anti Federalist
05-21-2011, 11:04 PM
When I saw the title, I thought "they're shooting their own dogs now?"

I think I'll buy a case of 5.56mm in honor of the fallen dog.

Damn, you're right, it's not clear, and too much time has elapsed to let me change the headline.

Anti Federalist
05-21-2011, 11:05 PM
now these dog murders are happening daily

wtf is going on

They come in spurts, it was quiet for a week or two, then all hell breaks loose, seems like.

Anti Federalist
05-23-2011, 11:45 AM
///

Krugerrand
05-23-2011, 11:49 AM
Public humiliation. It's the only practical solution I can think of that might work.

jkr
05-23-2011, 12:10 PM
when will the doggs rise up and throw of the yoke of thier oppressors?

bark
bark
bark
bark
BLAM YOUR DED TERERRISS!
i mean scobby-doo
shoot my dog you spineless coward...

specsaregood
05-23-2011, 12:21 PM
If I found a pitbull-mix in MY yard and it lunged at me, I would shoot it as well.

GunnyFreedom
05-23-2011, 12:22 PM
Hmmm. I repost these to my FB, and especially the NC ones, but.... confusing story is...confusing?

If the dogs were across the street in Grandma's yard, then what were they doing so far away in the brownshirt's yard where they had to use a car to pick them up?

If the three dogs were together, then why did only one get shot? (Have you ever known 3 friendly dogs to split up?)

All I got was that the guy was watching NASCAR, he had 2 dogs and his vacationing son 1. He decided to take them across the street to his mother's house where the three dogs could run inside the fence. Somehow, in that 50 yards to cross the street, one dog of the three ended up several blocks away, shots were fired and the guy knew it was his son's dog.

I'm not saying this wasn't just bloody awful, but the story is written so terribly that we don't really know WHAT happened.

I mean, God, I hate these as much as anybody, but this story has so many holes... So playing devil's advocate for a moment: What if douchebag cop had a cat that this dog was chasing in his yard, cop shoots to protect the cat, but says the dog lunged at him because he figures a cat isn't just cause? If I stepped outside and saw a pitbull chasing one of my pets I might feel compelled to act myself...maybe not to the extent this douchebag cop acted but...

My point is not to try and justify the cop here, God forbid, my point is that the story is so badly written that we really have no idea what the hell happened. :( It's so poorly written that pretty much any circumstance from completely justified to total dog murder would fit between the lines.

So I don't honestly know what to think on this one, and won't know until and unless something like clarity emerges.

I don't mean to rain on the hate-parade here, and you guys know I'm with you 100% on this stuff, but I can't reasonably draw any conclusions from this article. :(

Krugerrand
05-23-2011, 12:27 PM
Here's a quick version of what I envision:

http://i51.tinypic.com/24ci1r8.jpg

Imagine if he had to drive with his family past these billboards every day. Send a little write up to all his neighbors and to any group to which you can find he belongs.

Anti Federalist
05-23-2011, 12:45 PM
I agree, this one is not nearly as clear as some of the others, I bumped it only for Daviddee to find and post to his site if he wants.

There could be many extenuating circumstances.

My only comment was that, what would happen if it was you or I that did this?

I can guarantee that you would be cooling your heels in jail, at least until the facts came out.


Hmmm. I repost these to my FB, and especially the NC ones, but.... confusing story is...confusing?

If the dogs were across the street in Grandma's yard, then what were they doing so far away in the brownshirt's yard where they had to use a car to pick them up?

If the three dogs were together, then why did only one get shot? (Have you ever known 3 friendly dogs to split up?)

All I got was that the guy was watching NASCAR, he had 2 dogs and his vacationing son 1. He decided to take them across the street to his mother's house where the three dogs could run inside the fence. Somehow, in that 50 yards to cross the street, one dog of the three ended up several blocks away, shots were fired and the guy knew it was his son's dog.

I'm not saying this wasn't just bloody awful, but the story is written so terribly that we don't really know WHAT happened.

I mean, God, I hate these as much as anybody, but this story has so many holes... So playing devil's advocate for a moment: What if douchebag cop had a cat that this dog was chasing in his yard, cop shoots to protect the cat, but says the dog lunged at him because he figures a cat isn't just cause? If I stepped outside and saw a pitbull chasing one of my pets I might feel compelled to act myself...maybe not to the extent this douchebag cop acted but...

My point is not to try and justify the cop here, God forbid, my point is that the story is so badly written that we really have no idea what the hell happened. :( It's so poorly written that pretty much any circumstance from completely justified to total dog murder would fit between the lines.

So I don't honestly know what to think on this one, and won't know until and unless something like clarity emerges.

I don't mean to rain on the hate-parade here, and you guys know I'm with you 100% on this stuff, but I can't reasonably draw any conclusions from this article. :(

AFPVet
05-23-2011, 12:50 PM
Here's a quick version of what I envision:

http://i51.tinypic.com/24ci1r8.jpg

Imagine if he had to drive with his family past these billboards every day. Send a little write up to all his neighbors and to any group to which you can find he belongs.

Ahhh... the power of propaganda :) I love it! We need to make some about unjustified human shootings/invasions as well.

GunnyFreedom
05-23-2011, 12:51 PM
I agree, this one is not nearly as clear as some of the others, I bumped it only for Daviddee to find and post to his site if he wants.

There could be many extenuating circumstances.

My only comment was that, what would happen if it was you or I that did this?

I can guarantee that you would be cooling your heels in jail, at least until the facts came out.

Yeah, I hated to be the Debbie Downer on this one, but I read and reread the article several times and I was still like, "huh?"

PS - I love Krugerrand's billboard idea. :)

Anti Federalist
05-23-2011, 12:59 PM
Yeah, I hated to be the Debbie Downer on this one, but I read and reread the article several times and I was still like, "huh?"

PS - I love Krugerrand's billboard idea. :)

Not at all.

I do make every effort to weed out the ambiguous, unclear, or the stories that could be justified. Every time I post one I play "devil's advocate" and see if holes can be poked in the point I'm trying to make here.

Invi
05-23-2011, 02:15 PM
I hate that he says pit bull like if it were a golden retriever (which a few years back had more reported attacks than other breeds, when they still reported attacks by breed, but still keeping in mind those stats were swayed by breed popularity and misidentification) he wouldn't have reacted the same way.
It's a dog. A medium-sized dog, with teeth. Breed is irrelevant. Ownership and training is everything.
I feel horrible for the owner, but that guy really should have had his dogs all on leashes, in my opinion. Not because it's the law (screw the law), but because it's safer for them until they get to the yard.

I can't say for certain that I think the cop was 100% out of line. The dog was loose, on his property. He could have reacted differently, but I know plenty of people who would have done the same. This is not comparable to an officer going onto someone else's property and shooting their pet, regardless of how sad it is.
So.. I don't think he was in the right, but I can't say for certain that he was in the wrong either. Poor doggy. :(

edit: If I have somehow misread this, and the dog was not on the officer's property, then by all means, ignore me.

pcosmar
05-23-2011, 02:21 PM
It's a dog. A medium-sized dog, with teeth. Breed is irrelevant. Ownership and training is everything.
I feel horrible for the owner, but that guy really should have had his dogs all on leashes. Not because it's the law, but because it's safer for them until they get to the yard.

(

They shoot dogs on leashes and in kennels and inside their own homes.
It does not matter.

The issue is not the dogs or their containment or lack thereof, it is an issue of lack of respect on the part of LE.

Kojack
05-23-2011, 02:58 PM
Considering all the inane blog topics out there it's been a mystery to me for several years that there isn't one dedicated to cops killing dogs. There's certainly no shortage of material.

I would advise against the name of dogmurders.com. The name is too strong. For most of us, murder means a human death. Calling these shootings murders isn't going to reframe them in the mind of the public and make them take these incidents more seriously. The audience is more likely to feel that the blog author is overstating the case and so if anything they'll take it less seriously. But a light and humorous tone will both more easily attract readers as well as leave them the space to have their own emotional responses to the violent deaths of these pets.

pcosmar
05-23-2011, 03:04 PM
Considering all the inane blog topics out there it's been a mystery to me for several years that there isn't one dedicated to cops killing dogs. There's certainly no shortage of material.

I would advise against the name of dogmurders.com. The name is too strong. For most of us, murder means a human death. Calling these shootings murders isn't going to reframe them in the mind of the public and make them take these incidents more seriously. The audience is more likely to feel that the blog author is overstating the case and so if anything they'll take it less seriously. But a light and humorous tone will both more easily attract readers as well as leave them the space to have their own emotional responses to the violent deaths of these pets.

Too Late.
http://dogmurderer.com/

Kenso
05-23-2011, 05:58 PM
Here's a quick version of what I envision:

http://i51.tinypic.com/24ci1r8.jpg

Imagine if he had to drive with his family past these billboards every day. Send a little write up to all his neighbors and to any group to which you can find he belongs.

That's actually a brilliant idea, probably one of the more effective non violent ways to counter this kind of garbage. I'd kick in money to fund some of these for the more egregious examples of cops out of control (such as the cop shooting a chihuahua from the dog murderer site).

Krugerrand
05-24-2011, 05:28 AM
I hate that he says pit bull like if it were a golden retriever (which a few years back had more reported attacks than other breeds, when they still reported attacks by breed, but still keeping in mind those stats were swayed by breed popularity and misidentification) he wouldn't have reacted the same way.
It's a dog. A medium-sized dog, with teeth. Breed is irrelevant. Ownership and training is everything.
I feel horrible for the owner, but that guy really should have had his dogs all on leashes, in my opinion. Not because it's the law (screw the law), but because it's safer for them until they get to the yard.

I can't say for certain that I think the cop was 100% out of line. The dog was loose, on his property. He could have reacted differently, but I know plenty of people who would have done the same. This is not comparable to an officer going onto someone else's property and shooting their pet, regardless of how sad it is.
So.. I don't think he was in the right, but I can't say for certain that he was in the wrong either. Poor doggy. :(

edit: If I have somehow misread this, and the dog was not on the officer's property, then by all means, ignore me.

The trouble I have buying this is that he shot the dog FOUR times. The dog was not an aggressive dog. What do you think would have happened if it were the cops dog that got shot?

daviddee
06-06-2011, 10:00 PM
...

GunnyFreedom
06-07-2011, 10:53 PM
Here's a quick version of what I envision:

http://i51.tinypic.com/24ci1r8.jpg

Imagine if he had to drive with his family past these billboards every day. Send a little write up to all his neighbors and to any group to which you can find he belongs.

This has really got to happen.

Pericles
06-07-2011, 11:25 PM
Here's a quick version of what I envision:

http://i51.tinypic.com/24ci1r8.jpg

Imagine if he had to drive with his family past these billboards every day. Send a little write up to all his neighbors and to any group to which you can find he belongs.

If I didn't +rep you for that, I should have.

cindy25
06-07-2011, 11:51 PM
this is an elected sheriff? if so, the voters should be reminded at the next election that they have a murderer as sheriff.

BamaAla
06-07-2011, 11:59 PM
I usually get really bent out of shape about these stories, but this one didn't do it for me. If a Pit, or any dog for that matter, "cornered" one of my dogs in MY backyard, I would shoot it as well. I would just run it off if it "lunged" at me, but I will protect my dog (minding its own business in its own yard) with deadly force...from dogs or humans.

Brian4Liberty
06-08-2011, 12:37 AM
What if it was a mundane?

Many years ago there was a neighbor with a dog that had bit a kid. The guy next to him told the owner if it happened again, he would personally come over and "put down" the dog. The dog bit another kid, and the father walked next door with his Remington 700 and said "I'm here to take care of the dog." The dog owner stepped aside, and he went into the backyard and shot the dog. The police were never called. That was a while ago. At least no tax payer money was involved in the whole process...