TX-Cops respond to burglar alarm call, shoot the family dog.
Labrador expected to survive
http://www.oaoa.com/news/crime_justi...868e1985f.html
Posted: Wednesday, March 25, 2015 6:34 pm
Cory Brooks said he wants answers as to why his dog Smoke was shot twice by Odessa police officers during an alarm call Wednesday morning.
“Smoke is the most loyal dog ever. He is at your side at all times. He is just a really good dog,” Brooks said. “It was more joy than anything when they told me he was going to probably live. I understand they have a job to do and I am not trying to make OPD look bad.”
Odessa Police Department officials said that sometime around 9 a.m. officers were called to 4650 Lemonwood Lane about an alarm going off at the home.
When they arrived a black Labrador, known as Smoke, jumped on the side gate of the home causing it to come unlatched, officers on scene said.
“The dog exited the gated area and went towards officers in what they reported to be in an aggressive manner and the officers defended themselves by shooting the canine,” Sgt. Pedro Gonzalez said at the scene.
A dash-cam video provided by the OPD shows the two officers backing up in the front yard as the dog approaches them. The officers fired multiple times in the front yard; however, there is no video showing the backyard or how the gate originally came open.
Gonzalez said that both of the officers shot the dog once; the dog had a bullet wound in its jaw and its leg. OPD spokesman Cpl. Steve LeSueur said officers Lindsay Waychoff and Joel Smith were the officers who shot the dog.
Originally it was reported that only two shots were fired, but Brooks said Gonzalez returned to his home later in the day and reported that four shots were actually fired at the dog.
LeSueur said that Waychoff and Smith were checking to make sure the home was secure when the dog “charged through” a gate and chased officers through the front yard before the shooting took place.
“We do have the right to defend ourselves when we are dealing with an aggressive animal, including deadly force,” LeSueur said.
Brooks said he wanted to see the video and also find out how a bullet ended up in his backyard. “I want to make sure that all of those officers were out here (in the front yard) when those shots were fired,” Brooks said before the dash-cam video was released. “He is saying that they shot him in the front yard. Regardless, if they are standing out here how did that bullet get on my back porch?”
Brooks said his next step is to try and see the video from the shooting to figure out what happened.
“I am definitely going to file a complaint. The thing is, if they show me evidence that they didn’t shoot him in the backyard and they did their job then that’s one thing,” Brooks said. “It is not about me trying to get back at someone for shooting my dog. I just want to know the truth about what happened.”
Brooks said initially that police changed their story more than once while explaining the shooting to him. When he arrived at the house he asked police if someone entered his home and the police said no. It was at this point that Brooks said he knew his dog was shot.
“I said, ‘So you shot my dog then?’ and they didn’t really answer the question and I just said, ‘Tell me if he is alive or dead because if he is alive I’m going back there to try and get him to the vet,’” Brooks said.
The dog was taken to an emergency veterinarian clinic by Odessa Animal Control and is expected to survive, Gonzalez said. Police also transported Brooks to the veterinarian clinic to check up on the dog.
Brooks said he also asked the officer why a stun gun wasn’t used but the officer told him that sometimes it doesn’t bring the animals down.
“I have a 6-year-old boy who lives in the house and my girlfriend so what if the bullet comes through my house and kills a kid. That’s ridiculous,” Brooks said.
Gonzalez said that police would continue to investigate the shooting and that the two officers would not be placed on administrative leave.
Brooks said he is happy that his dog is going to survive the shooting and hopefully make a full recovery.
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Originally Posted by Torchbearer
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