Woman Killed When Police Officer Tries to Shoot Her German Shepherd

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/woman-killed-when-police-officer-tries-shoot-her-german-shepherd



A 34-year-old woman in Burlington, Iowa was shot and killed on Tuesday by an officer who was allegedly aiming for her dog during an argument, the BurlingtonHawk Eye reported.

The officer, identified as Jesse Hill, shot Autumn Mae Steele in front of her husband and 4-year-old son. Steele had been arrested a day earlier on domestic abuse charges, and Hill was there to escort her as she retrieved items from her home after being released from jail on Tuesday morning.

Steele and her husband reportedly began arguing as she was putting the boy into her car. Hill was allegedly trying to break up the dispute when the couple’s German Shepherd approached him.

“The dog startled the officer. The officer began shooting at the dog,” one witness told the Hawk Eye.“The officer was still shooting when he fell down in the snow.”

[RandiFan1290]

1. Keep anything you love away from these pigs. nt

[get the red out]

2. Bastard

Wanting to kill the dog to teach them a lesson is what I would guess. Evil jackass didn't have enough sense to know that a human could be killed in a situation like that.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Couldn't use pepper spray?

Incredible stupidity.

[truth2power]

4. Add that to the list of excuses for taking the life of someone or their pet..

you were "startled". Well, ok, then.

I've been thinking for some time that we should hire 10 year olds - pay them $2.00 an hour and hand them a gun.

Win/win...save the municipality money and you probably wouldn't have any increase in stupid actions that end up killing someone.

I probably need this

On the other hand, at the current level of insanity, the idea may have some merit.

[TDale313]

26. I have a 10 year old nephew.

He'd show far more restraint and humanity than this or many of the other similar stories. Too many cops either on a total power trip or scared shitless- or possibly both.

[Frustratedlady]

5. In defense of the officer, I think they will find it was accidental due to the dog

becoming involved. We have a good PD and it has been 65 years since an officer has been involved in a fatal shooting. They are not trigger happy. Whether the dog wanted to play or attack is not known, although the officer was treated later for a dog bite. We have 5-6" of snow on the ground with ice beneath, so I can certainly see where the officer would have lost his footing. I do not know the officer involved.

[ecstatic]

20. the vast majority of people don't have a gun when a dog charges

He could have at least braced himself to take the first bite (if any) like a man rather than shooting wildly and placing so many lives in danger. Wtf are they teaching these cops in training school? And they wonder why people are so angry?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

24. I think it has to be the training they put these guys through and the fact everything...

..... is video recorded these days - including the murder of police on duty.mthey drill these videos in to their heads that every stop can be fatal regardless of the statistics.

Now everything is officer safety officer safety officer safety and anyone around them is fucked should the slightest bit of shit hit the fan - pray and spray bullets.

No one's life matters to them but the cops'.

Wasn't there a time in this country where a cop was in trouble if he shot too quick and killed an unarmed person? Didn't he have to use a "throw down gun" to cover his tracks? Now all the cop has to say is his fee fees were hurt so he shot everyone. Who needs a "throw down" anymore?

Let's hope commercial pilots (a more dangerous profession statistically) don't get the same idea and demand ejection seats so they can bail at the first hint of trouble. "Good luck everybody else, we are outta here"

[Logical]

22. Any idiot cop who aims at a dog and kills a person should be fired! You wait.....

This cop will not be fired! But your city will pay millions for this idiots mistake.

Ask yourself what would of happened to a homeowner who accidentally dropped a gun that killed a cop.

[Live and Learn]

28. Mailmen get attacked by dogs all the time but they don't shoot them.

They carry pepper spray for just such attacks. The dog did nothing wrong. It thought the officer was attacking its owners and acted to protect them just like it should.

The point is that officers shoot anyone and anything far too easily.

[DLevine]

6. Only cops' lives matter.

[MrScorpio]

7. Actually, it's the truth

Nothing else matters other than a cop's life.

If he gets more than a paid vacation over this killing, I'll be surprised.

[DLevine]

8. Yup. Makes me sick. nt

[bobGandolf]

9. Nothing like handing a kid fresh out of H.S. a gun.....

and putting a badge on him. Training, what training?

[newfie11]

10. Did this idiot kill the 4 year olds mom and dog both

Or did he completely miss the dog when shooting.
Poor child, at that age i would have been devistated over both my mom and dog being killed right before my eyes. Hell I still would!!!!!
I hope he goes to jail for a very long time but I know he will get off!

[RoccoR5955]

11. Only a small child who has never had a dog

would feel threatened by a dog. I have had the experience of being approached by various mean dogs. They have never been a threat.
To me, this "officer" is no more than a child with a badge and a gun who uses his gun instead of reason.

[Orrex]

14. "Only a small child who has never had a dog would feel threatened by a dog."

[FSogol]

16. An advocate for the BAFCAD program?

"Buy All Future Cops A Dog"

[ecstatic]

21. mixing apples and oranges. nt

[mythology]

23. You clearly haven't met enough dogs

I had a neighbor who trained his dog to attack such to the point that his wife refused to go out into the backyard or allow the dog into the house because the dog wasn't safe for anyone other than her husband to be around.

Yes, most dogs, even aggressive dogs are less likely to bite if you stand your ground, but to call it a blanket statement is just foolish.

[blackspade]

12. Another one?

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. Stop. Fucking. Using. Your. Guns. For. Everything.

FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKK.

Of course, some gun nut shithead will now discuss how quickly one can be killed by a German Shepherd, or whatever. The whole country is nutso with these damn guns.

[hatrack]

15. "I was startled, Yeronner, so I just started blazing away." "Case dismissed. Next!!"

[nichomachus]

17. Now just imagine

putting guns into the hands of untrained citizens and children. And "training" doesn't mean a six-hour course at the local gun shop.

If cops are easily frightened and can't shoot properly, what do you expect of an average citizen with shaking hands and pee running down his/her leg?

[Amishman]

19. there are more people with carry licenses than police

A quick search put the number of people licensed to carry at 11 million, and the number of police at a bit more than 1 million. Yet we don't see story after story of private citizens shooting stranger's dogs. To me this suggests the real problem is the attitudes (and training) of police, and their willingness to try and solve problems with gunfire.

[Jesus Malverde]

18. An outgrowth of the drug war open season on dogs...nt

[hedda_foil]

25. Bullcrap. He's trying to break up an argment but for some reason...

He has his gun out to shoot at the dog he sees out of the corner of his eye. None of this passes the smell test.

[shenmue]

27. Damn