Police officer shot dead after pointing stun gun at man's dogs as he attended domesti

[osoab]

Police officer shot dead after pointing stun gun at man's dogs as he attended domestic (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2025812/Police-officer-Robert-Lasso-shot-dead-pointing-stun-gun-mans-dogs.html)




A police officer killed while responding to a domestic disturbance in a small eastern Pennsylvania borough had pointed a stun gun at two dogs before being shot, court records reveal.

Freemansburg police officer Robert Lasso had pointed at the attacking dogs when the homeowner pulled out a shotgun and fired the fatal blast on Thursday evening.

In police custody, the alleged gunman, 46-year-old George Hitcho Jr, said he had told Mr Lasso to get off his

'He tried to kill my dogs and pointed a gun in my face,' Hitcho said, according to the documents. 'I do not care if you a cop or not ...Unbelievable.'

The officer had been responding to a report of a disturbance and ended up at the back of Hitcho's house, authorities said

Police Chief George Bruneio, who arrived after Mr Lasso requested assistance, instructed him to 'shoot the dogs' and that's when the homeowner pulled out a shotgun and fired, authorities said.

Mr Lasso, 31, a married father of two, was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has ordered flags in the Capitol complex and in Northampton County to be flown at half-staff to honour Mr Lasso.

Mr Lasso's family said they were devastated.

'Robert, he was so good,' said his mother, Elsie Stem. 'He was so loved, especially by his kids. Now they have to grow up without a daddy. It's not fair.'



Mr Lasso's funeral will be held on Tuesday. Yesterday a procession was held in his memory as his body was transported from hospital to a funeral home.






I wonder why this didn't make any news in the States?

[Awoke]

One of the comments:



Matt, Augusta, GA - get the facts before you comment. This police officer was responding to a call from a citizen. The complainant indicated that the suspect had threatened him. The police officer was attempting to get the suspect's story, when the jerk sicced his dogs on the officer. The officer requested back up & his superior (this is a very small town) arrived to see the officer, taser in hand trying to ward off the dogs without use of force. The chief assessed the situation & ordered the officer to tase the dogs - in self-defense. That is when the suspect opened fire with a shotgun, mortally wounding Officer Lasso. This suspect has been in trouble with the law numerous times & his neighbors lived in fear of him, knowing he had at least the one weapon. Many of the neighbors say that they feared this guy would doing something awful, but none ever believed he would kill a police officer.

- jane, usa, 15/8/2011 11:00

[iOWNme]

When a man points a weapon at another man, it is a direct threat on one mans life. ALL men have the Divine Right to defend his life, from anyone who would take it, including Goverment Agents.

Cops seem to forget this little nugget of truth. They are taught that they are the King, and all others should bow.

This is actually a heartwarming story. Not that a Cop was killed, but that somebody stood up for their Life, Family, and Property.

[Spectrism]

.. sounds like the cop was doing his job and a nutcase made a bad showing for gun owners.

It is sad that such a thing happened. I can't blame the cop. He was probably a good guy. The guy with the shotgun was probably menacing someone and it is clear that he had the will to kill someone without just cause. When there is a complaint from someone, there needs to be a reckoning. Either the cop is allowed to talk with the suspect or they will get a warrant and a swat team. Take your pick.

[gunDriller]

sounds like progress ... maybe.

i don't like to hear about cops threatening citizens - or their dogs - so my initial reaction was to root for the citizen.

[solid]

George Hitcho Jr, said he had told Mr Lasso to get off his property and not come on unless he had a warrant, authorities said.

'He tried to kill my dogs and pointed a gun in my face,' Hitcho said, according to the documents.
'I do not care if you a cop or not ...Unbelievable.'

the homeowner pulled out a shotgun and fired the fatal blast
End of story

No it's not the end of the story. Cop goes to investigate a person being charged with a crime. Suspect sics his dogs on him (a lethal force), cop pulls a taser (non-lethal weapon) in self defense of the dogs. Suspect shoots cop who was holding just a taser in his hand. Suspect lies about it.

This whole story makes me sick to my stomach.

Let's flip this situation around and see if it's OK....cop sics two police dogs on a man. Man tries to defend himself from the dogs with a non-lethal weapon. Cop kills the man for it.

Seems facts only apply with the cops kill a person. If a cop gets killed...any and all facts are tossed out the window to support the murderer.

Bunch of complete BS, if I've ever heard it.

[MNeagle]

People are usually very attached to their pets, even considering them 'family'.

Police should realize the strong emotional ties people have w/ their animals, and not threaten or harm the pets accordingly. It's just asking for a confrontation when done.

Our state has a law that killing or injuring a K-9 police dog is equilivant to killing a police officer; and the sentence follows as if a policeman was killed.

[solid]

People are usually very attached to their pets, even considering them 'family'..

Then dumbass owners need to not use their dogs as lethal weapons, and expect their pets not to get shot. Anyone sics their dogs on me and I'm shooting them, in my self defense, of my life.

Owners need to be accountable for that.

[MNeagle]

Double standard there Solid.

O.K. for a cop to kill a dog (even if in a kennel).

Citizen kills a police dog, it's jail.

[Dogman]

Police officer shot dead after pointing stun gun at man's dogs as he attended domestic (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2025812/Police-officer-Robert-Lasso-shot-dead-pointing-stun-gun-mans-dogs.html)






I wonder why this didn't make any news in the States?

They did!

http://www.google.com/search?q=Freemansburg+police+officer+Robert+Lasso&num=30&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=ivnsuo&source=lnms&tbm=nws&ei=E0FJTtrIM4KtsQKt-5SSCA&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=4&ved=0CBYQ_AUoAw&biw=1047&bih=492

Here is on of many!



http://media.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem_impact/photo/hitcho-and-lasso-b8b4aaa3009be12c.jpg

Freemansburg police officer Robert Lasso probably cringed at the familiar sight of alleged killer George Hitcho Jr.

One of the great aspects of living in a small town is everyone knows one another.

One of the worst aspects of living in a small town is everyone knows one another.

They say you can't have it both ways, but in this instance you can.

Let's assume for a moment that George Hitcho Jr. is not a scumbag. (http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2011/08/george_hitcho_jr_was_a_nuisance_neighbors_say.html ) Let's assume that Hitcho, 46, did not start his day planning to shoot and kill a police officer, as is alleged. He is charged in Thursday's slaying of Freemansburg (http://boroughoffreemansburg.org/) police officer Robert Lasso, (http://topics.lehighvalleylive.com/tag/robert%20lasso/photos.html) but let's assume he was going about his business before Lasso arrived in his neighborhood.

It may have begun as Hitcho's normal day of hissing at neighbors and having people in town avoid him at all costs. And it's possible that Lasso rolled his eyes and thought "not again?!" as he encountered Hitcho, a man he had arrested on drug charges several years earlier.

Talk to neighbors and they'll describe Hitcho as a real pain-in-the-butt loser. Block in neighbors' vehicles. Cause a racket at all hours. Generally draw a line in the sand and let people know he would do whatever he wanted and everyone else be damned.
You know the type.

Avoid this guy because he's trouble, they would tell each other. And they did. Early and often.

But that's not what Robert Lasso was paid to do. He and every other person in uniform, from the highest ranking state police trooper to the smallest borough patrolman, are people who head toward the George Hitchos of the world. When everyone else wants to get away, they are called to go in. And that's what they do.

The complete circumstances of the encounter between Hitcho and Lasso will not be entirely clear until the court case plays itself out. Testimony will come from those who were there. Hitcho may or may not come up with a story of his own. In paperwork filed last week, Hitcho told investigators he didn't like Lasso being on his property. What a treat this guy must be.

The story we won't hear is Lasso's. We won't know whether he was expecting an encounter with Hitcho. If he was expecting one, we won't know if he was cringing at the notion. We won't know how many times in the past he had told Hitcho to move it along or leave someone alone.
What we do know is not good. We know Hitcho has been in trouble in the past. We know Lasso is dead, leaving behind a wife and two small children. We know he expected to return home Thursday night. We know he did not.

Freemansburg is accustomed to small-town news. The river backs up. Ice and snow snarl the main thoroughfare.

Everybody knows about it. They even expect it.

But it was big-town news that hit little Freemansburg last week, about the worst kind of news there is. A cop doing his job laid down his life.

In a small town where everyone knows everyone else, the only thing that isn't a shock is who is accused of doing it.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/joe-owens/index.ssf/2011/08/freemansburg_police_officer_ro.html

[Celtic Rogue]

George Hitcho Jr, said he had told Mr Lasso to get off his I guess property! The officer had no warrant... he invaded the mans home and threatened his property. This all could have been different if the cop backed off and got all the stories straight before drawing his weapon. Your home is your castle. Come in with force expect the same. The cops need to be retrained that they are not judge and jury and are here to PROTECT US... not control us!

[solid]

It's a real shame that cops have lost the trust of the people.
It never used to be this way when cops were looked up to as being honest, truthful, trustworthy protectors of citizens.

Some, in fact, a lot still are honest and trustworthy folks. Was this cop one? Sure sounds like it to me. Left behind a wife and 2 kids.

The fact that he pulled a stun gun,not his firearm, on two attacking dogs is very telling of that man's character, imo.

Let's remember that when this cop was killed, he had a stun gun in his hand.

[Ares]

As much as I am not a fan of police, it definitely sounds like Hitcho is in the wrong. If Lasso was responding to a domestic disturbance then that is public record, if Hitcho ordered his dogs to attack and Lasso brought out a stun gun in self defense of being attacked by Hitcho's dogs then Hitcho is guilty of 2nd degree murder.

[solid]

Double standard there Solid.

O.K. for a cop to kill a dog (even if in a kennel).

Citizen kills a police dog, it's jail.

It's not OK for cops to kill dogs. Only dogs that are attacking them and threatening their life.

If an innocent man's life is threatened by an attacking police dog, it would be justified for that man to kill the police dog in self-defense.

You don't see that happening though, because police dog's are incredibly well trained. I've see police dogs in action, it's amazing how trained they are.

[osoab]

Double standard there Solid.

O.K. for a cop to kill a dog (even if in a kennel).

Citizen kills a police dog, it's jail.

Maybe a triple standard.

If cop kills his own police dog, they get a slap on the wrist and condolences.

[solid]

Maybe a triple standard.

If cop kills his own police dog, they get a slap on the wrist and condolences.

I'm not seeing any double, or triple, standard here. If you accidentally killed your dog, should you be charged with a crime?

What I'd like to know, has there ever been a case where a police dog killed someone?

Police dogs are trained not to kill, to lock onto arms, wrestle people to the ground and subdue them in a non-lethal manner.

[sirgonzo420]

Some, in fact, a lot still are honest and trustworthy folks. Was this cop one? Sure sounds like it to me. Left behind a wife and 2 kids.

The fact that he pulled a stun gun,not his firearm, on two attacking dogs is very telling of that man's character, imo.

Let's remember that when this cop was killed, he had a stun gun in his hand.

Those tazers can kill.

And how many men, women, children, and dogs have been completely unarmed, and murdered by police?


If someone is in my home threatening me or my family, they are quite likely to be shot.

I don't care if they have a gun, tazer, or burrito in their hand.

[willie pete]

"Let's flip this situation around and see if it's OK....cop sics two police dogs on a man. Man tries to defend himself from the dogs with a non-lethal weapon. Cop kills the man for it."

That's Probably happened numerous times

[solid]

Those tazers can kill.

And how many men, women, children, and dogs have been completely unarmed, and murdered by police?


If someone is in my home threatening me or my family, they are quite likely to be shot.

I don't care if they have a gun, tazer, or burrito in their hand.

In his home, where did you read that?

Gonzo if I walk across your front lawn with a burrito in my hand, are you going to shoot me?

[Sparky]

There is too much missing information to pass judgment here. The officer was "responding to a domestic disturbance". Do we know what that was all about? Do we know who made the call? Were the dogs attacking or barking? Did Hitcho know it was a stun gun? Was the police chief already there when he ordered Lasso to shoot the dogs, or was he calling those instruction in? Did Hitcho shoot when he heard that instruction, or was Lasso in the process of shooting? Did he actually shoot the dogs?

My gut reaction is that you don't shoot another human because they are pointing a stun gun at your attacking dogs. But as I said, there seems to be a lot of unanswered questions.

[willie pete]

Probably so....if you look....here's a situation were the k-9 cop had a device on his car that would open the back door and let the dog out Remotely....

"But in Florida’s Escambia County, the sheriff’s office stripped the technology from its cruisers in 2009 after doors unexpectedly opened TWICE in two weeks. One time, a police dog attacked and wounded the mother of a man being treated for a seizure."

..and it was treated as "an accident"...yet a old woman was mauled....

[iOWNme]

The fact that he pulled a stun gun,not his firearm, on two attacking dogs is very telling of that man's character, imo.

Let's remember that when this cop was killed, he had a stun gun in his hand.

You mean he had an UNLAWFUL human torture device in his hand?

[osoab]

I'm not seeing any double, or triple, standard here. If you accidentally killed your dog, should you be charged with a crime?

What I'd like to know, has there ever been a case where a police dog killed someone?

Police dogs are trained not to kill, to lock onto arms, wrestle people to the ground and subdue them in a non-lethal manner.

This story is not quite a death, and the perp was a shitbag, but severing his penis is uncalled for imho.

Man Sues Over Police Dog Bite To Groin (http://www.personalliberty.com/news/man-sues-over-police-dog-bite-to-groin-35503/)




GRETNA, La. — A man says his civil rights were violated by a Gretna, La., police officer whose police dog bit into his groin area and virtually severed his penis.
Cody Melancon filed a lawsuit against the Gretna Police Department alleging the injury occurred when the officer loosed his dog onto Melancon without provocation, The Times-Picayune reported Tuesday.
The attack left him sexually dysfunctional, Melancon’s suit says.
“I don’t have any sensation down there,” Melancon said. “I can’t get an erection. I’m 25 years of age.”
The incident occurred May 30 when Gretna police went to Melancon’s apartment to arrest him on charges of kicking in someone’s front door and hitting an occupant, charges Melancon denies.
Melancon says he surrendered to officers and was kneeling on the floor of his living room when Gretna officer Joseph Mekdessie allegedly trumped up an altercation and let his dog Zin go at Melancon.
“He started saying, ‘Stop fighting with my dog,’ and he released the dog on me,” Melancon said.
Melancon’s lawsuit seeks $31 million for medical and other expenses and for punitive damages, The Times-Picayune said.


Now back to your question other question about killing police dogs.

You would get at minmum a negligence charge against you along with animal cruelty if your pet died in your car. Cops haven't got that in the past few instances that we have covered here solid.

[solid]

You mean he had an UNLAWFUL human torture device in his hand?

Your use of 'torture' is incorrect, tasers are not used for that reason. They are 'supposed' to be used for self-defense. They are issued for self-defense reasons.

Regarding self-defense, if you are defending your life you can use anything around, a broomstick, frying pan, etc. It's self-defense.

[sirgonzo420]

In his home, where did you read that?

Gonzo if I walk across your front lawn with a burrito in my hand, are you going to shoot me?

"Domestic disturbance" implies a household, no?

Also, there was a blank in the article after "get off my" (property?)..

I notice towards the end of the article it mentions the back of his house, not the front lawn.

And no, I wouldn't shoot you. :)

[solid]

This story is not quite a death, and the perp was a shitbag, but severing his penis is uncalled for imho.

Now back to your question other question about killing police dogs.

You would get at minmum a negligence charge against you along with animal cruelty if your pet died in your car. Cops haven't got that in the past few instances that we have covered here solid.

Thanks osoab, I remember those discussions now. I stand corrected in those cases.

[Awoke]

Tasers are an offensive weapon in the hands of a NWO pig cop, used on children, old ladies, and retards, and anyone they deem. Don't get sidetracked trying to defend the pigs again solid. I will hammer you with hundreds of examples of police brutality and murder involving tasers.


With regard to this whole situation we are discussing though, I am on the fence. I hate cops, and always root for the people, but there is too much info lacking for anyone to really know what was up.

"Responding to a domestic" could mean anything from Hitcho yelling at a neighborhood kid to Hitcho beating his daughter to death slowly with a frying pan. No one knows.

I can't take a position on it, other than stating that I would kill the dogs if they were charging me.

[solid]

I didn't realize the officer was attacked by the dogs? There must be some bite marks or broken skin?

I wasn't there, but barking dogs don't necessarily mean attacking dogs.
Did anyone see the dogs? Did the owner say "sig em" or 'get em"??

It would make sense that perhaps the dogs were just barking or acting aggressive enough for the cop to pull his taser out, just as a precautionary measure.

I was wondering why you'd pull a tasor on two attacking dogs, you could only tase one of the dogs. The other dog would likely keep attacking. It's really the tough one, when to have to shoot a dog. You never know if they are actually going to bite. The times I've seen this happen, the cop actually got bite before shooting. Then you end up with a shot and injured dog, an injured cop, and it's an all around ugly situation. I blame the owner in those cases, not the dog, and not the cop for shooting a dog who is actually biting him.

[Sparky]

The more I think about it, the more this stinks. I think you have the right to shoot when your life is threatened. As much as I love animals, I'm not so sure you have the right to shoot when your pet is in danger. If the officer had not already shot, than Hitcho shot a man dead because he thought his pet might get shot. If he shot a man dead because the officer had already shot his pet, then he had nothing to gain by shooting the officer.

Also, if you own "attack dogs", you have the responsibility to train them to attack at your command. So either Hitcho called them to attack, or he couldn't stop them from attacking, for which he is responsible in either case.

According to Post # 2, this was the sequence of events:
1) There was a domestic disturbance call.
2) An officer responded, encroaching upon private property
3) The officer was questioning the suspect
4) The suspect gave the order to his dogs to attack
5) The officer requested back-up. (My guess is that this actually happened before #4)
6) Backup (police chief) arrived to see the officer being attacked by the dogs.
7) The police chief gave the order to taser the dogs
8. The suspect shot the officer (presumably before the officer actually shot the taser)

If these are the facts, then the suspect's actions are clearly unjustified in my eyes, and he should be severely punished.

[iOWNme]

The more I think about it, the more this stinks. I think you have the right to shoot when your life is threatened. As much as I love animals, I'm not so sure you have the right to shoot when your pet is in danger.


Do you know what happens if you shoot a Police Dog? You get charged with MURDER.

Cops are trained to be in FEAR 100% of the time. This mentality leads to these types of situations.

Mix this with the 'people' being trained to think all Cops are bad.

This is a recipe for DISASTER.

Can ANYONE here give me an historical reference/example of a country where it was moral, just and right to be on the side of Government as the society collapses?

REALLY think about that.

[Awoke]

According to Post # 2, this was the sequence of events:


But I didn't post that in order for it to be taken as Gospel. It was a comment made under the article, nothing more.

Anyone could have logged in and written that comment, so it could be true or it could be bullshit.

[osoab]

Probably NSFW. By the way, how much time does one get to become fully awake, throw some clothes on, and answer the door for a SWAT raid?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbwSwvUaRqc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbwSwvUaRqc

From the link.


This video shows a search warrant served by the Columbia Mo. police department. The cops bust in this guys house in the middle of the night and shoot his two dogs (one a pit bull that was caged in the kitchen and the other a Corgi) with children in the home. it turns out that rather than a big time drug dealer, this guy had a small pipe with some resin in it, a grinder, and what the cops here call "a small amount of marijuana" (meaning less than a few grams). We here in Comlumbia want everyone to know what kind of police department we have here, check out our "finest" in action.

Another one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kJVnA5KXJw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kJVnA5KXJw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kJVnA5KXJw)

and another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng6mfpZ2kR4


From the video.


This is a legally obtained video of the Columbia, MO SWAT team serving a search warrant for marijuana on 03.07.2008 at the home of Mr. Jonathan March. Mr. March had no prior felony convictions at the time of the raid.

During the raid, 5 concussion grenades were exploded in and around the home. One of the grenades exploded near the feet of the young lady visitor seen in the video who at the time was seated on the couch. Two additional grenades were exploded subsequent to the arrest on the premise that the CPD needed to prove that the previous 5 grenades had done no damage. The grenades left clear charred remains on the carpet and other areas of the home.

During sworn testimony, the SWAT officers who executed this raid acknowledged that they had shot to death two dogs with their machine guns. Both dogs were shot in the back while retreating. One of the dogs is shot at around 6:30 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng6mfpZ2kR4#) as an officer tops the stairs, passes a suspect on the floor and steps into a bedroom. You can see a glimpse of the dead dog as the officer stands in the doorway. The dog is obviously facing away from the officer. At 6:55 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng6mfpZ2kR4#) you can see another injured dog struggling in the hall.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng6mfpZ2kR4

[Sparky]

But I didn't post that in order for it to be taken as Gospel. It was a comment made under the article, nothing more.

Anyone could have logged in and written that comment, so it could be true or it could be bullshit.

That's why I concluded with "If these are the facts..." As we both said earlier, there's too much missing information.

[Sparky]

Do you know what happens if you shoot a Police Dog? You get charged with MURDER.

Cops are trained to be in FEAR 100% of the time. This mentality leads to these types of situations.

Mix this with the 'people' being trained to think all Cops are bad.

This is a recipe for DISASTER.

Can ANYONE here give me an historical reference/example of a country where it was moral, just and right to be on the side of Government as the society collapses?

REALLY think about that.

I don't think it's fair to judge this case based on any of the generalities that you have stated, even if they are all true. The consequences of shooting a police dog, cops trained in fear, people thinking cops are bad, siding with the government during a society collapse, are ALL generalities. I am trying to judge the actions in this case solely on there own merits.

[Sparky]

Probably NSFW. By the way, how much time does one get to become fully awake, throw some clothes on, and answer the door for a SWAT raid?

This is not about whether police can be cruel viscous a$$holes who have been known to shoot pets unnecessarily. I'm not naive in thinking this type of $hit doesn't happen. This is about what happened in this case. Maybe it even happened in this case, but there's no clear evidence of it, at least not yet. Maybe we will learn more later.

[dys]

The more I think about it, the more this stinks. I think you have the right to shoot when your life is threatened. As much as I love animals, I'm not so sure you have the right to shoot when your pet is in danger. If the officer had not already shot, than Hitcho shot a man dead because he thought his pet might get shot. If he shot a man dead because the officer had already shot his pet, then he had nothing to gain by shooting the officer.

Also, if you own "attack dogs", you have the responsibility to train them to attack at your command. So either Hitcho called them to attack, or he couldn't stop them from attacking, for which he is responsible in either case.

According to Post # 2, this was the sequence of events:
1) There was a domestic disturbance call.
2) An officer responded, encroaching upon private property
3) The officer was questioning the suspect
4) The suspect gave the order to his dogs to attack
5) The officer requested back-up. (My guess is that this actually happened before #4)
6) Backup (police chief) arrived to see the officer being attacked by the dogs.
7) The police chief gave the order to taser the dogs
8. The suspect shot the officer (presumably before the officer actually shot the taser)

If these are the facts, then the suspect's actions are clearly unjustified in my eyes, and he should be severely punished.

I doubt these are the facts. I think it's more likely that the cop pulled a gun on this guy and he defended himself. Most people are not homicidal maniacs by nature (with the notable exception of cops), and most people are not dumb enough to shoot a cop and think they can get away with it. We only know what the spin doctors have given us, we weren't there. I'm never inclined to give proven criminals (cops) the benefit of the doubt.

dys

[mrnhtbr2232]

As a result of this the local police will likely see an influx of money and training to turn them into the same jack-booted thugs as their larger counterparts. Regardless of whether Lasso was a good cop his death will end up making the community he served worse, not better, by the same system he was a member of. Irony of the first order.

[madfranks]

Then dumbass owners need to not use their dogs as lethal weapons, and expect their pets not to get shot. Anyone sics their dogs on me and I'm shooting them, in my self defense, of my life.

Owners need to be accountable for that.

The article says the cop was at the back of his house, i.e. the back yard. Nowhere in the article does it say the homeowner sicced his dogs on the cop. Someone is just making that up. Back yards are a dogs territory, you don't go into someone's back yard with two big dogs and think they're not going to be upset. The homeowner claimed the cop leveled a gun at him, and if so, cop or not that is a threat to your life and deadly force is acceptable to repel that force. This time the cop died and the homeowner lived. Most times it goes the other way. I am inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to the homeowner, not the cops.

[Sparky]

I doubt these are the facts. I think it's more likely that the cop pulled a gun on this guy and he defended himself. Most people are not homicidal maniacs by nature (with the notable exception of cops), and most people are not dumb enough to shoot a cop and think they can get away with it....

dys
Yeah, but now you're just making this $hit up. If those are the facts, then you have a point, but nothing along those lines has been reported. Most people aren't in trouble with the law numerous times, and most people don't have neighbors who live in fear of them.

[Sparky]

The article says the cop was at the back of his house, i.e. the back yard.
...
It says he ended up at the back of his house, which means something else happened before that. Was he denied at the front door? And to me, "back of his house" means more likely at his back door. Is that the only accessible door to his house? Was he denied elsewhere? So much missing info...

[willie pete]

Then dumbass owners need to not use their dogs as lethal weapons, and expect their pets not to get shot. Anyone sics their dogs on me and I'm shooting them, in my self defense, of my life.

Owners need to be accountable for that.



Bottom Line: the police mentality is, people ARE expendable.........so that follows that pets or animals are even further down on the list of expendability

[Horn]

The dogs were most likely to be stunned so that police could gain entry could to the property.

What the cops heard or saw on the property for them to gain entry should come into question (other than just what some neighbor heard through hearsay)

[midnight rambler]

Police dogs are trained not to kill, to lock onto arms, wrestle people to the ground and subdue them in a non-lethal manner.

Utter bullshit. Dogs which are taught to bite humans are taught to bite until called off. If this means chewing someone's ass completely up, then so be it (from the cops' perspective).

Quit with the LEO propaganda already.

[midnight rambler]

Probably so....if you look....here's a situation were the k-9 cop had a device on his car that would open the back door and let the dog out Remotely....

"But in Florida’s Escambia County, the sheriff’s office stripped the technology from its cruisers in 2009 after doors unexpectedly opened TWICE in two weeks. One time, a police dog attacked and wounded the mother of a man being treated for a seizure."

..and it was treated as "an accident"...yet a old woman was mauled....

Calling it an accident implies that there's no one to blame.

[midnight rambler]

Your use of 'torture' is incorrect, tasers are not used for that reason.

lol More LEO propaganda.

[dys]

Yeah, but now you're just making this $hit up. If those are the facts, then you have a point, but nothing along those lines has been reported. Most people aren't in trouble with the law numerous times, and most people don't have neighbors who live in fear of them.

What was reported is totally irrelevant to me. I don't believe a word of what is reported in situations like these. Furthermore, most people that are in trouble with the law are not criminals at all, but victims themselves as the REAL criminals- the cops- make it their business to arrest innocent people. And I don't believe that his neighbors fear him, either...and even if they do it doesn't make him a murderer.

dys