Neighbor shoots dog that was being walked by 9-year-old (story & video)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=525225

by Lucas Bond
Posted: 10.12.2010 at 9:58 PM
Updated: 10.13.2010 at 11:05 AM

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. -- Update: Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 5:46 p.m.

Jefferson City Police return to the scene to investigate dog shooting.

"There are a lot of things still at play and everything is still, I guess, fair game in terms of what may be the outcome,” Jefferson City Police Capt. Doug Shoemaker said.

Read the entire story here: http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=525691

Update: Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 11:04 a.m.

Jefferson City Police Capt. Doug Shoemaker said that the police are investigating the case. He continued to say that it is not closed and is an on-going investigation.

Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson said that he has not seen a police report on the case and cannot charge anyone until the report is sent to his office.

Original Story:

FULL story and video at link.

[MineralMan]

1. Wpw! After reading the story, it seems like a pretty extreme

reaction on the part of the shooter.

[Maine-ah]

7. please read the comments section

jerry_mommy said: Yesterday at 9:26 PM
Ok everyone, yesterday the investigator came & talked to Jerry. Yes he did drop the leash right before it happened, he was scared he would b in trouble which is why he didnt tell them that night. Everything else is still true. Now out of the blue some man is claiming to have seen it & that Ecko charged the man. Funny that me & my brother got outside within 30 seconds of it happening, the man still close to the ally & there was NO ONE else outside. and funny how he didnt say anything to the police before. As he walked calmly by me he looked me dead in my face & smiled stating "he tried to attack me" very calmly. I found out today that they r only charging him with Unlawful Use of a Weapon & that Jerry is no longer a credible witness because we talked to the media & his storys arent exactly the same. I strongly feel that they r ****ed off because of everyones support. They dont care. Now even though he DIDNOT have a permit he could get away with it.
Reply |

edited:

it seems we're getting more of the story through the comments.

[xchrom]

2. Seems a long investigative time for this. Nt

[Cirque du So-What]

3. I know a forum where you could post this and generate a great deal of outrage

especially over this bit from the link:

'Police did take the man's gun away from him. But wouldn't say if he had a conceal and carry permit.'

Every thing else, not so much.

[Upton]

4. This guy needs to be charged..

if not mom or dad need to go over the neighbor's house and take care of business themselves. Their kid could have easily been shot too.

[TexasObserver]

5. 9 year old loses control of aggressive 50 pound pit bull

Dog attacks man, who shoots it.


That is probably the story as it happened, not as it has been framed in this thread.

[Omaha Steve]

6. That isn't the way the PR item reads (see the PDF link)

Since there are witnesses, I'm willing to wait for the results of the investigation to decide.

JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- Update: Thursday, Oct. 14 at 3:36 p.m.

The Jefferson City Police said that the case is being investigated. Police are talking to witnesses and gathering more evidence.

Jefferson City Police Randy Dampf said that the paperwork will be filed with the prosecutor’s office within the next day or two.

See Jefferson City Police Department statement here: http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/uploadedFiles/krcg/News/Stories/statement.pdf

[TexasObserver]

8. Comments following the story say the boy lied about not losing control of the dog.

That sounds more likely than his story, which sounds like a kid covering his ass.

[northernlights]

9. no they don't

The boy initially didn't tell that he dropped the leash. Later he told police he dropped the leash right before the man shot the puppy.

What is unknown is whether he dropped the leash because he lost control of the puppy or whether he dropped the leash in panic when the man pulled out his gun.

[TexasObserver]

11. You're calling a 50 pound pit bull a puppy.

This "puppy" was clearly more than a handful for this boy.

There are bad dogs and bad dog owners, and between them, they harm a lot of humans.

[northernlights]

15. 7-8 month old dogs are puppies and you're condeming this puppy

as well as calling the boy a liar...without knowing any of the facts, other than that the dog is a pit bull and therefore, apparently, a bad dog :eyes:. Do kids lie? Sure. So do adults. Do kids panic? Sure. So do adults. Do kids remember every detail...and understand its potential import...in the aftermath of what was surely a traumatic event? Doubtful. Same is true for adults.

But I agree that the parents should not have allowed a nine year old to be walking a dog of that size and, given the reputation, breed by himself.

And welcome to ignore. I'm not a fan of the breed, but I've noticed you popping up in every potentially contentious thread automatically condeming pits. I'm sick of it and frankly, somebody with your narrow, dog-bigoted mindset is not worth my time or energy. Have a lovely day.

[TexasObserver]

16. a 50 pound pit bull is a 50 pound dog

Call him whatever you want, but if he's on a leash that has a small child on the other end, he's probably not going to be under control if he wants to bolt.

As long as pit bulls continue to eat people, I'll continue to note that fact.

[uppityperson]

25. "As long as pit bulls continue to eat people, I'll continue to note that fact."

Thank you for making your prejudices clear.

[TexasObserver]

31. Those who champion the dogs are the minority, not the majority.

Whatever the dog's qualities as a breed, it's obvious that many of the breed's owners are not responsible, and as a result, they inflict great harm to humans.

As insurance companies refuse to insure their owners, as prosecutors hold such owners criminally responsible, as attorneys hold their owners economically responsible, as municipalities make their presence against their laws, this is a battle between those who think the dogs are simply misunderstood, and those who differ on that issue.

The pro pit bull prejudice is alarming, and apparently not seen by those who have it.

[uppityperson]

37. As communities determine that breed specific regulations don't work and dump them, as people

figure out that there are bad owners of all types of dogs, slowly the prejudices are changing. The anti-pit bull prejudice is alarming, and apparently not seen by those who have it.

"it's obvious that many of the breed's owners are not responsible, and as a result, they inflict great harm to humans." True, those owners inflict great harm to humans. As do irresponsible owners of all types of dogs.

[TexasObserver]

40. No, they'll add more big dogs to the lists.

People are weary of being terrorized by large dogs kept by some who have no business owning any dog.

[uppityperson]

46. That hasn't happened. The opposite has. You obviously support a ban of all "large dogs". How large?

http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/breed-specific-legislation.html
Are Breed-Specific Laws Effective?
There is no evidence that breed-specific laws—which are costly and difficult to enforce—make communities safer for people or companion animals. For example, Prince George’s County, MD, spends more than $250,000 annually to enforce its ban on Pit Bulls. In 2003, a study conducted by the county on the ban’s effectiveness noted that “public safety is not improved as a result of ,” and that “there is no transgression committed by owner or animal that is not covered by another, non-breed specific portion of the Animal Control Code (i.e., vicious animal, nuisance animal, leash laws).”
Following a thorough study of human fatalities resulting from dog bites, the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) decided not to support BSL. The CDC cited, among other problems, the inaccuracy of dog bite data and the difficulty in identifying dog breeds (especially true of mixed-breed dogs). The CDC also noted the likelihood that as certain breeds are regulated, those who exploit dogs by making them aggressive will replace them with other, unregulated breeds.

[Sweet Charming Dem]

62. Here's some facts for you:

http://www.atts.org/stats1.html

[Richard Steele]

77. You are so consistently at odds with reality on every posible subject.

It's quite fascinating, actually.

[northernlights]

17. LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

I can't hear you!!!!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[northernlights]

18. LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

I can't hear you!!!!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[TexasObserver]

19. I use you as a convenient foil. Whether you read it is immaterial.

This is a board read by many, and when I post to someone who never found a pit bull they couldn't defend, it's not important to my message whether you read it or not.

There are some bad dogs, and some bad dog owners. Between them, they inflict a lot of harm on humans. More and more jurisdictions are holding bad dog owners responsible criminally. More and more jurisdictions are outlawing bad dogs.

[northernlights]

78. LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

I STILL can't hear you!!!!!

But I do see that IGNORED is all over this thread, spewing big dog-hatred and kids are all liars venom everywhere! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[uppityperson]

27. If someone pointed a gun at you, would you drop a leash?

I wonder if a 9 yr old would, even one habituated to being accompanied by an OMGPITBULL!!!!!11

[TexasObserver]

32. You're assuming you know what happened.

I'll take the man's version over the kid's. You're free to believe the kid.

[uppityperson]

35. I am asking you a question. Would you drop the leash?

I wonder if a 9 yr old would.

I hope you are never in a position to determine whether or not to believe a child's story of abuse.

[TexasObserver]

38. And I told you I don't believe the kid.

You shouldn't either, but you want to because it fits the story you have in your head.

[uppityperson]

41. Yup, because kids lie and adults don't.

I hope no child is ever reliant upon you to believe them.

[TexasObserver]

45. They do when they're in trouble.

I hope no child is ever reliant upon you for their personal safety.

Now, can you accept that I don't agree with you, and move along?

[uppityperson]

48. And adults don't lie when they're in trouble. Gotcha.

[TexasObserver]

50. Can you accept that I don't agree with you, and move along?

Your personal attacks are tedious.

[uppityperson]

51. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Personal attack against a specific DU member (or members).
Personal attack, name-calling, or other insult. Telling someone, 'shut up,' 'screw you,' 'fuck off,' or the like.
Calling someone a liar, or calling a post a lie.
Calling someone a conservative, disruptor, or similar.
Calling someone a bigot.
Belittling someone for being new or having a low post count.
Negatively 'calling out' someone who is not participating in the discussion.

Let's see. "And adults don't lie when they're in trouble. Gotcha." Nope, not a personal attack.

[TexasObserver]

53. Right. And pit bulls don't kill people.

I disagree with you on everything about this case and pit bulls.

You don't have to like it.

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sweet Charming Dem]

63. Yes and all adults tell the truth

[jdp349]

12. Yeah, that sounds more likely to me

The kids story was the man said "now I'm going to shoot your dog" and then pulled out a gun. Sounds like a nine year old making up a story to me, but stranger things have happened so it's certainly worth investigating.

[TexasObserver]

20. The kid is small. His first instinct is to lie to protect himself.

Was he supposed to be out with the dog?

Was he properly trained to control the dog?

Was the dog properly trained?

Did the dog simply get away from him and charge the other dog and its owner?

These are things we'll find out.

[ThomCat]

21. Nothing indicates that this dog was ever out of control,

ever anything from friendly, or ever a threat.

When a KID drops a leash because someone threatened him and his dog with a gun that is not a valid reason to then use that gun to shoot his dog. That is threatening the kid with a firearm, and killing the kid's dog for no reason.

Just because you have an irrational fear of pit bulls doesn't mean they should be shot.

If you are going to call a dog aggressive, there should be some sign that the dog was actually aggressive.

1. If that dog was aggressive, that guy would have some physical sign of it.
2. He could not have harmed that dog first unless he had his gun out first, ready to shoot.
3. And if he had his gun out first, ready to shoot, then that means that he was intimidating the kid with it, threatening him and his dog!

So clearly, if this guy doesn't have any injuries, that dog wasn't being aggressive. The neighbor was, with the gun!

[TexasObserver]

22. "The 57-year old told officers he did it because the pit bull charged at him."

You are ignoring what the man reported because it doesn't fit your storyline.

Your entire post is built around your absolute certainty this dog never charged, never growled, never showed his teeth, never appeared to be a threat. Of course, you don't know these things, but you believe them because you choose to do so.

[ThomCat]

23. If the dog charged at him, he's have some damage to show for it.

I'm not ignoring anything. He could not have pulled out a gun and used it before a dog at least got a hold of his clothes and pulled if the dog truly was aggressive.

So, either the dog wasn't aggressive, or he was the aggressive one, because he already had a gun out.

And if he already had the gun out, and therefore he was the aggressive one, then his whole story falls apart. He intimidated the boy, and shot the dog when the boy got scared and dropped the leash as a result.

If the dog was really aggressive, as he says, where are any signs of the dogs aggression? Where are any claw or teeth marks anywhere on his clothing? He hasn't claimed any. No story claims there are any.

Apparently this perfectly harmless dog was somehow aggressive long enough for him to get out a gun and kill it, while still remaining perfectly harmless? Is that really what you believe is possible? Really? If so, can I please sell you some prime swamp land I recently foreclosed on? I own it now. I promise!

[TexasObserver]

24. Wait until it's been investigated by people who don't have your agenda.

Then we'll find out what probably happened. Right now, you're ignoring what you don't want to consider and rationalizing whatever it takes to find the dog and boy blameless.

[ThomCat]

26. Ha!

You're the one with the obvious agenda to declare all Pit Bulls automatically dangerous. :(

[apocalypsehow]

34. Ah, them pit bulls: just the friendliest, loveliest, most kindly breed of dog in the world.

It's just so damn bad so many human arms, legs, and throats keep assaulting that breed of dog's jaws & teeth. :cry:

[Sweet Charming Dem]

64. Of course, the average anti-pit bull idiots thinks any muscular dog between 30-150lbs is a pit bull

American Pit Bull Terriers are actually bred to be EXTREMELY friendly towards humans.

Bet you can't figure out which one it is.

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

[apocalypsehow]

67. Yep - it's so sad. Why do all those losers who claim they've been "mauled" by those peaceful, human-

loving pit bulls keep trekking off to emergency rooms or showing up in ambulances when their silly limbs are found assaulting those pit bulls jaws & teeth? Especially since those same jaws & teeth are trying to be EXTREMELY friendly toward the humans their jaws happen to be clamped down upon? :shrug:

It's a great tragedy.... :cry:

[Sweet Charming Dem]

68. So which one of those dogs is an American Pit Bull Terrier?

Because all of those dogs are commonly reported as being pit bulls, which does skew the statistics a bit, don't you think?

Clearly, you wouldn't want any errors being made to erroneously support an agenda, would you?

[apocalypsehow]

69. Ah, how quaint: three logical fallacies in one post. I feel almost as sorry for you as I do for

those poor, poor, pit bulls. :cry:

[Sweet Charming Dem]

70. Surely, if you're such an expert on the breed, you'll be able to quickly point out the correct dog

[apocalypsehow]

72. Surely, if you are able to read, you'll grasp that this is not the subject of the conversation here,

in this OP.

I'm guessing no - but we can always hold out hope! :thumbsup:

[Sweet Charming Dem]

73. The subject of the conversation appears to be that you think pit bulls are vicious killers

And are utterly unwilling to grasp the fact that the "statistics" on dog bites are skewed due to the media (and various other ill-informed people) being unable to correctly identify a dog breed. Anything that could be remotely mistaken for a pit bull is considered a pit bull attack. We don't call every black & tan dog that bites somebody a German Shepherd.

[uppityperson]

30. What agenda? You mean believing the kid and not the guy who pointed his gun and shot near a child?

Wow, what a weird agenda to have when we all know that of course kids lie because they are small and OMGPITBULLS SHOULD be shot on sight, no matter if there is a child standing next to it or not.

[TexasObserver]

36. Yes. It's pretty obvious to anyone not a pit bull advocate.

That you believe you're reasonable about pit bulls is amusing.

[uppityperson]

39. you are incredible. You believe kids lie and adults don't. You don't answer if you'd drop a leash if

you had a gun pointed at your dog. And you call me unreasonable.

Incredible.

[TexasObserver]

42. Calm down, please.

You've unleashed a string of vicious personal attacks against me, all because I believe the man, not the boy, and because I find the number of irresponsible pit bull owners to be a social problem.

You and I have covered the entire issue, so please move along.

[uppityperson]

47. Nope, just restating what you have said. Kids lie when in trouble, adults don't.

You don't answer if you'd drop a leash if a man pointed a gun at you. And you call me unreasonable and to "calm down".

Incredible.

[TexasObserver]

52. Please accept that I don't agree with you.

Your attacking me won't bring that dead pit bull back to life.

Try to discontinue your string of personal attacks on me due to my disagreeing with you.

[uppityperson]

54. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9329785&mesg_id=9334580

Let's see again. "Nope, just restating what you have said. Kids lie when in trouble, adults don't. You don't answer if you'd drop a leash if a man pointed a gun at you. And you call me unreasonable and to "calm down"."

Nope, no "personal attack", just a reply

[uppityperson]

28. The man is large. His first instinct is to lie to protect himself.

Every time a pit bull is attacked, their irrational accusers go on their own attack.

[apocalypsehow]

44. "Every time a pit bull is attacked" - I sympathize, brother. It's the literal "why is your face

assaulting my knuckles" query, just put in canine terms: "why do all these pesky humans body parts keep attacking the jaws & teeth of so many of us peaceful pit bulls? :shrug:

It's an outrage wrapped in a mystery wound up into a doggy-treat. And the occasional (human) carotid artery.

[uppityperson]

49. Even those times when it's not a pit bull, when incorrectly ID'd. Still they get crap

While it is not a mystery why this happens, it still is very sad.

[apocalypsehow]

55. Yep - poor, poor teeth & jaws of those much-maligned pit-bulls. Humans can be so selfish when it

comes to relatively minor & mundane matters like wanting to hang on to their limbs. Or keep their arteries from being gashed open. It's just so unfair. :cry:

[uppityperson]

57. Ah, another person who believes all dogs of a certain size should be illegal.

What size is that, since any dog of a certain size is capable of gashing arteries open? You probably don't mean ankle biting vicious chihuahuas, what size do you mean?

[TexasObserver]

58. It doesn't help the breed that its foremost advocates are unreasonable.

Does anyone not a pit bull fan read their harangues and think "well, that's reasonable"?

Is it any wonder the dogs often attack without provocation?

[uppityperson]

59. speaking of personal attacks, you now are saying I am haranguing and hysterical. wow.

And I am capable of making dogs attack without provocation because of my hysterical haranguing. Yipee!

[apocalypsehow]

61. See #60 below: being attacked by a pit bull is now a civil rights violation. BY THE ONE ATTACKED.

Seriously, you couldn't make this stuff up. :rofl:

[uppityperson]

60. You mean selfish in wanting the correct dog that attacked ID'd?I don't know why you are against that

Don't know why you would want the wrong dog ID'd, or the dog wrongly ID'd. Seems odd to me and rather unfair to another dog that looks like what was the incorrect type of attacking dog.

I thought most of us were happy to not forward negative things incorrectly. Guess next time I'm mugged I should say it was some (pick a race or skin color that we all know is bad) because, after all that (type) of person does mug people.

[Sweet Charming Dem]

71. Apparently, wanting the correct dog ID'd is a "logical fallacy"

Some people amaze me.

[Sweet Charming Dem]

65. Yep...I have a pit bull, and I've been told that she's not a pit bull

Because she's not huge (actually, she's large for a pit bull at 50lbs, but people seem to think they're huge monsters) and she's friendly. As in absurdly friendly.

American Bulldogs, AmBullies, Cane Corsos etc are routinely mistaken for pit bulls, and way more likely to bite a person.

[flvegan]

10. Much of DU will be okay with this because the dog was a pit bull.

It's okay to shoot the breeds that some folks just don't like or are foolishly afraid of.

[Sweet Charming Dem]

66. +1

Yes, I learned in this thread, big dogs are bad and we need to get rid of them. Especially, if they're pit bulls or look remotely like a pit bull.

[JanMichael]

13. Sorry about the dog....I love dogs...but, what about the DUMBASS

shooting a gun like that around a kid in a neighborhood????

Freaking HELLO!!!!

[Taitertots]

14. Dangerous animal + child that can't handle animal = not guilty

What sort of dangerously insane parent sends their child out at night down an alley with a dangerous animal that he can't control?

[uppityperson]

29. What story are you writing about since none of that is relevant here.

[Taitertots]

75. What is not relevant about it?

A small child lost control of a dangerous animal and someone shot it in self defense.

Only a dangerously insane person would think it is alright to send a small child out with a dangerous animal that they can't possibly control.

[ConsAreLiars]

43. Damn you are so totally predictable and unthinkingly unoriginal on every topic.

How do you manage it? Is there some course or tutorial offered by the RWJA Training Institute that anyone can sign up for, or is it only available to those who already show relevant talents?

[Taitertots]

76. Don't bother to actually comment on the topic

Then you would have think about how only a dangerously insane person would think it is a good idea to let a small child roam loose at night in alleys with a dangerous animal that it can't possibly control.

[uppityperson]

33. Jerry was given a new puppy, will name him Oke.

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=526295
http://www.komu.com/KOMU/d7e2017e-80ce-18b5-00fa-0004d8d229cb/ad762377-80ce-18b5-009e-632c15592685.html

[Vickers]

74. Does that kid look like he can control a 50 pound dog?

:shrug: