PDA

View Full Version : AL - "There was blood everywhere. My car is still soaked in it.” Cops score another kill




Anti Federalist
01-08-2013, 07:16 PM
Jesus...

Hat tip to Phill4paul for the link.

And another Farcebook page pops up to denounce the puppycide. https://www.facebook.com/stoppolicekillpets

For fuck's sake...

Don't call the fucking cops.




Birmingham Police shot and killed man's chocolate lab inside his home, grieving owner says

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/01/birmingham_police_shot_and_kil.html

January 07, 2013 at 4:00 PM, updated January 07, 2013 at 4:01 PM

http://media.al.com/spotnews/photo/12084643-large.jpg

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Early Friday morning, Barry Cochran was in the bedroom of his home in the East Thomas neighborhood when, according to Cochran, two Birmingham Police officers came to the door and ended up shooting and killing Cochran's dog, a 60 lb., four-year-old chocolate lab mix named Bella.

"It's just a very bad situation," Cochran said.

The shooting started after Cochran's roommate called the police, after a friend the roommate had over refused to leave. "My roommate had been seeing someone, and they had gotten into an argument," Cochran told al.com. "My roommate was getting ready to go to work at 6 a.m. Apparently his friend didn't want to leave yet because it was so early."

When the officers knocked, Bella did what any curious dog might do. She slipped out of Cochran's room and went to see who was at the door.

"My roommate let them (the police) in, and they were standing on the threshold or right inside the door, and Bella went up to them," Cochran said. "I'm sure she was wagging her tail, because she was the friendliest dog in the world. And she never, never growled. She didn't bark, that's for sure."

" I went insane. Bella was running all over the house. There was blood everywhere. My car is still soaked in it.”One of the two officers shot into the house, Cochran said, hitting Bella in the head and the chest.

"My roommate was right there next to them, and they could have shot him."

Cochran said he didn't see the actual shooting, as he was still in his bedroom. "The gunshots and my roommate screaming 'No,' made me realize what had happened. I could not believe it."

"The cops were in the doorway. They could have just shut the door. I went insane. Bella was running all over the house. There was blood everywhere. My car is still soaked in it."

Cochran took Bella to a 24-hour animal hospital, he said. "I managed to get her to a vet, but she was too damaged." Veterinarians managed to stabilize Bella, but a needed surgery to save her life would have been risky, unlikely to work, and prohibitively expensive.

"They had to euthanize her."

Birmingham Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Johnny Williams said he could not speak to the specifics the shooting because it is currently under investigation by the Internal Affairs Department.

"I can't comment on it because it is an internal affairs investigation."

Asked about any training the BPD receives as far as dog and police interactions. Williams said the BPD training "trains us to interact with any kind of threat we encounter."

"In some cases, it would be the officer's discretion as to how they would deal with a specific problem," Williams said.

As for Cochran, he said he's been taking the loss of Bella very hard. He called the grief and loss hotline at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to speak to a counselor, he said. He also reached out to Cosmo's Pizza owner Leisa Bunn on Sunday night. Birmingham Police opened fire on three dogs belonging to Bunn and her boyfriend, Rusty Crawford, in 2009, while responding to a call about stray dogs.

"It's just been ripping me apart ever since then," Cochran said.

James Madison
01-08-2013, 07:21 PM
Those cops are heroes! And they need more guns and armor and funding to tackle all the right-wing crazies like you and that Alex Jones guy!

Your guns were only created to murder! You don't need an assault rifle for hunting! We need reasonable gun restrictions in this country! But not for Cops or the Military! They exist to protect us from all the bad guys out there! Like this Dog!

/s

AGRP
01-08-2013, 07:31 PM
Labs are known to attack people with relentless requests to throw frisbees.

Spikender
01-08-2013, 07:35 PM
Christ, this is getting more and more ridiculous by the day. I honestly can't come on here without seeing a "cop shoots dog" thread.

When the hell am I gonna log on and finally see a "Dog owner blows cops away after they murder his dog" thread, or even better, "Dog owner decides to not call the bucking cops to settle something that could've easily been done without them".

aGameOfThrones
01-08-2013, 08:13 PM
I'm just waiting on that Sarah Mclachlan animal cruelty video asking for money while showing cops killing dogs of all shapes and sizes just because.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc

VoluntaryAmerican
01-08-2013, 08:20 PM
Birmingham again? :(

Added to the map.

Dog Deaths by Police Officers 2011-2013 (https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=207846740317443814606.0004cfafec39c0992f16 f&msa=0)

Uriel999
01-08-2013, 08:42 PM
never call the cops.

aGameOfThrones
01-08-2013, 09:34 PM
never call the cops.

What if my neighbor has a dog I don't particularly like?

heavenlyboy34
01-08-2013, 09:37 PM
Wow, wasn't it just ~3 months ago AF posted a story about another lab named Bella being shot by a pig? :( :mad:

Anti Federalist
01-08-2013, 09:38 PM
never call the cops.

Good to see you Uriel.

presence
01-08-2013, 09:39 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pI0Kwutugeg
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdeua6xaM11rkokvko1_400.jpg

Occam's Banana
01-08-2013, 09:51 PM
Williams said the BPD training "trains us to interact with any kind of threat we encounter."

Mark this. This is the perspective cops are "trained" to bring to every "encounter".

We are all of us "threats" to be "interacted with". And the standard interaction scenario is "shoot first, whitewash later".

Tod
01-08-2013, 09:52 PM
What if my neighbor has a dog I don't particularly like?

Blame the owner, not the dog.

specsaregood
01-08-2013, 10:07 PM
The shooting started after Cochran's roommate called the police, after a friend the roommate had over refused to leave. "My roommate had been seeing someone, and they had gotten into an argument," Cochran told al.com. "My roommate was getting ready to go to work at 6 a.m. Apparently his friend didn't want to leave yet because it was so early."

side-topic: if "seeing someone" means "sex" then I ponder this: trust someone enough to swap bodily fluids and sleep next to them, but not enough to leave them in your house when you go to work? probably somebody you should not be banging.

Anti Federalist
01-09-2013, 08:35 PM
Local AL talk show host falls all over himself trying to ask the mildest of questions about this latest dog murder.


A few questions for Birmingham police after dog shooting

By Matt Murphy | Matt@100WAPI.com

The Birmingham News

January 09, 2013 at 3:47 PM, updated January 09, 2013 at 3:54 PM

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2013/01/questions_for_bpd_after_dog_sh.html

I always say I never want to talk to an on-duty police officer while he/she is conducting business. Never. Ever.

When you do, odds are you've been accused of breaking some law or another or you're accusing someone of same. That, or you are a witness to some criminal event. Anyway you slice it...it's a hassle.

So...only off-duty conversations for me, thanks. I'll even buy the round.

Don't get me wrong. I am a huge fan of the men and women in blue. Officers from all across our state and nation put their lives on the line every day in order 'To Protect and Serve'. Each time I hear of a carjacking, or a high speed chase, or an armed robbery I first hope all involved are safe, and then I think of the courage and inner strength it must take to not only purposefully place yourself into such a life-threatening situation but also the knowledge, training and restraint it must take to evaluate how to handle any given dangerous scenario and act accordingly.

Thousands of men and women working as police officers faithfully execute their duties to the public in an extraordinary manner every day...and are often perceived based on the actions of the scant few who abuse their power in some way.

Imagine if your career was judged by the worst of your peers. Yuck.

In my job, I've encountered and discussed cases of countless police officers wrongfully accused of some abuse or another only to be exonerated after years in the legal system and thousands in legal bills. While there are bad or careless cops, and mistakes do happen, the vast majority of officers should be applauded and supported to a fault.

...But there's just something weird to me about the Birmingham Police Department dog shooting case from last week. Something doesn't feel right.

In case you missed it, Madison Underwood covers the details (at least the few we know) here. Barry Cochran lives in East Thomas. After 6am Friday morning, his roommate called Birmingham police for what seemed a non-violent domestic situation involving the roommate and a friend. As the BPD arrived, and before Cochran could get out of his bedroom, the police shot into the residence and hit his dog named Bella. Cochran transported the dog to a 24-hour vet where she had to be put down due to her injuries. Cochran says Bella did not bark and is a sweet dog. Bella, for those interested, was a chocolate lab.

This last fact got me to asking a few questions.

When's the last time I met a labrador that seemed aggressive or dangerous? I'm certain they exist...I just can't remember meeting one.

What is Birmingham police policy regarding canines within a home, especially when many canines have a guarding instinct when someone unfamiliar comes inside?

Do officers have field training on how to handle this situation? Are they trained in basic canine behavior?

How often does something like this happen in our area?

What about tasers?

Why didn't the police just shut the door to the home (as Cochran claims they could have?)

How would I feel if the police shot my dog in my own home?

Full disclosure. I'm a dog guy. Love em, love em, love em. I ask all the time,

"You know why I like dogs more than people?"

"No."

"Because they deserve it."

So I know I'm more sensitive to this story than some, but even if you aren't a dog lover and look at the pooch as merely property...the BPD still has some explaining to do and maybe a check to write.

When asked about the incident by Underwood, BPD spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams said he could not comment on an internal affairs investigation.

Why the heck not?? What is so sacrosanct about an internal police investigation the public can't get an idea of their side of the story? The police update criminal investigations all the time while they are underway. Is it somehow different for the 'law'? When a police dog is injured in the line of duty, I expect justice. The cops are quick to tell the tale. Why not now? At very least, Williams could publicly explain BPD policy and basic training for these types of situations...and maybe show a bit of remorse it happened at all.

Is there any?!?

I have the utmost respect for Birmingham police chief A.C. Roper and hope he makes it a priority to determine whether or not an officer was justified in discharging his weapon last Friday in East Thomas. Often times...these things just fade away. I do not want a fade away in this case. Do you?

I wasn't there and obviously there is a ton we don't know. It's entirely possible the officers involved were justified in Bella's shooting. It's possible Bella threatened one of the cops. Maybe there's a perfectly reasonable side to this story which led a cop to kill man's best friend.

As soon as Birmingham police are willing to talk, I'm willing to listen. I think Barry Cochran and the public deserve an explanation.

In the meantime...I advise you to watch 'Barky' and 'Fido' next time you answer your front door. The police might be on the other side.

...and they're packing.

presence
01-09-2013, 09:12 PM
In the meantime...I advise you to watch 'Barky' and 'Fido' next time you answer your front door. The police might be on the other side.

...and they're packing.

I suggest the police check their back when they execute 'Barky' and 'Fido' next time, they ain't the only one's packin'.
http://www.schupbachs.com/images/firearms/guns/ruger_logo.jpg?1308183242