Cop accidentally shoots a 4-year-old girl while attempting to shoot her dog

'Mommy, am I gonna die?'

Her mother, Andrea Ellis, had cut her arm on some glass in her house near Columbus, Ohio, and her sister called 911 for help.

“She's bleeding all over the place!" her sister said in the call. "I need a paramedic!"

By coincidence, a cop on a routine call happened to be on the block. She called out to him for help.

"Sir, can you get me a paramedic?! I need a paramedic here!” she said.

But as the cop approached the house, events took a horrific turn. Cops said the family pet - a boxer-terrier mix named Patches, charged at the officer.

The cop fired his gun, and the bullet hit Andrea's four-year-old daughter, Ava, in the leg, shattering the bone.

Link

Almost 50% of Americans own a dog and there is no reason for the animal to be isolated indoors. Officers need better training when it comes to handling these types of situations.

Thoughts such as "where's the dog" do not necessarily come to mind when seconds can save lives. If my mother was bleeding out on the floor my full attention would be on making her safe and comfortable. The officer acted hastily, as most would in an emergency, but discharging his firearm without full situational awareness is not acceptable.

These dogs are doing what the homeowner intended them to, greet them at the door for affection or greet an intruder with suspicion and guard up. Dogs charge at people for BOTH reasons and to think that some have lost their lives seeking love and affection breaks my heart. There has to be a better way.

Ava was rushed to the hospital and has a large scar on her leg after surgery. But now back at home, she’s recovering from her injury.

I hope stories like this make the boys in blue take a step back and think. With the amount of dog owners in the US, shouldn't we as humans go back to the drawing board?

These animals provide love when there sometimes is none and to take that away while almost taking some innocent 4 year old's leg at the same time should never be allowed to happen. I'm glad she's alright, no word on the dog.

This has already been posted here back in June.

Sad story though.

The rants changing...was the dog inside or outside...can't have it both ways...

I don't get it... I have been charged by several dogs, of many breeds, including one of those abnormally giant German Shepherds, and not once as an adult ever feared for my life. Not once. I am of the opinion that that is the only reason an officer should ever discharge their weapon. The ONLY reason. I'm sorry but (wait, no I'm not sorry) I and every Cop in America is an adult Human, and if you cannot win a hand to paw fight against a dog WTF are you thinking becoming a Cop?! Seriously, if you can't bare hand control a dog, I do not want to count on you for my protection.

It is a wonderful and stupid crazy world we live in. It cannot end well.

Its just a lack of respect right.. I dont want to get bit or run, so I am going to kill this dog that the whole family loves.

originally posted by: SgtHamsandwich
This has already been posted here back in June.

Sad story though.

Thanks. I didn't think I had to go back that far when searching.

"Like a good neighbor, ATS Mods are there"

*opens eyes, looks around*

Damn. Didn't work.

What a horrible story,was this guy even trained ? if so whoever trained him should be fired too .....

He must have been so scared he just fired randomly in the direction of the dog and hit the 4 year old girl....another shining example of what not to do

a reply to: eisegesis

I just remember it because its a story that hits too close to home.

You read about the incompetence of our current LEO's all the time, but when it hits your back yard it becomes a whole other animal as I live just south of Columbus.

Being a father with a 4 year old daughter, words haven't even been invented of what I would do to that idiot if it were my baby girl. I'm happy the hit was superficial and she survived.

originally posted by: SgtHamsandwich
a reply to: eisegesis

I just remember it because its a story that hits too close to home.

You read about the incompetence of our current LEO's all the time, but when it hits your back yard it becomes a whole other animal as I live just south of Columbus.

Being a father with a 4 year old daughter, words haven't even been invented of what I would do to that idiot if it were my baby girl. I'm happy the hit was superficial and she survived.

Its beyond reason to think murdering these animals is the only way to deal with them. Oh that's right, its part of the conditioning. Of course there's a better way. And when this doesn't work or a dog is hellbent on causing you harm, there are increasingly effective nonlethal ways to defend yourself.

Using sound to prevent aggressive dog attacks

Ricky is a FedEx driver, working in California’s Central Valley, “Delivering packages to homes and apartments,” he told You and the Law.

“We all take safety quite seriously. But there is no way to fully comprehend the other part of the job until it happens.”

For Ricky, “It” was the day he rounded a corner in an apartment complex, “met by growling pit bulls, who, it seemed, saw the word Alpo on my forehead! They were salivating, licking their chops! If I wasn’t so scared, it would have seemed funny.”

Prepared to spray Mace, he had another idea:

“I did not want to harm these dogs. Talk about timing, about a week earlier, my girlfriend at that time — now my wife — gave me a little device which resembled a TV remote control. The instructions said to aim it at a dog within a range of about 20 feet, push the button, and it the dog should stop whatever it is doing and walk away.

“Instead of Mace, I tried this instead. The dogs just stopped in their tracks, looked at me with this puzzled expression, their ears went downwards, and off they ran! This thing got me out of almost certain trouble, and without harming the dogs,” the happy FedEx driver told us.

a reply to: eisegesis

My cousin was living in the Ft. Worth area when (as I recall) there was an argument or something at a neighbors house, and this genius Cop comes through her yard to cut off any escape routes if the suspects ran. In the process he had to put several rounds into her gnarly viscious ankle biter weenie dog. I know, scary right?! She could have messed up the polish on his jackboots or something scary like that.

It was considered justified. Did I mention her kids all under 10 were only feet away at the time, the 6year old was running to catch the dog and was very close to doing just that. He discharged multiple rounds into a weenie dog, because he feared for his life?!?! It will not end well.

originally posted by: nOraKat
Its just a lack of respect right.. I dont want to get bit or run, so I am going to kill this dog that the whole family loves.

Yeah, there are thousands upon thousands of postman and other delivery drivers that somehow managed not to get killed daily by dogs.

Why must police officers go directly for lethal force whenever they hear a bark?

The dog in my avatar is my Charlie, I love him to pieces and yes he barks and is defensive of his home. He is still a baby at less than 2 years old. On the street anyone can walk by him and give him a pet, which he loves and wants more. When visiters come to the house he is always just a little on guard until he knows they are welcome.

If this ever happened to him it would be a terrible loss. I have a beagle too that is 9 years old and they are best buds. This is tragic, they aren't just dogs, they are like a perpetual 3 year olds that listen to what you say and love you back unconditionally.

originally posted by: rossacus
The rants changing...was the dog inside or outside...can't have it both ways...

The officer was at the doorway when a dog charged at him, Alex-Bouzounis said.

Neighbor Carrie Britton said the family has two dogs and that they were on shock collars and couldn’t get out of the house.

Link

So the dog was inside and because the officer had to enter the house, killing it was the only option. Get real. If he was at the doorway, he could have easily put the door between himself and the dog until someone secured it. It would be wise for officers to assume or expect every apartment or homeowner to own a dog which could potentially complicate things. Why they act so surprised and fearful is beyond me. It must be that new breed of trigger happy cowboys.

I have a German Shepperd/McKenzie Timber Wolf mix and the cops love my dog!! the postman used to carry treats and give my dog rides throughout the neighborhood while he delivered the mail.....He is now 10 and if someone threatened me or my family as in a criminal my dog would go ballistic....but every cop that has have ever stopped by because of incidence in the neighborhood has always asked me if he was friendly, restrained or could I crate him if they needed to come in and talk to me....He just wants to play and lick them to death.....

Where are they finding these people that would think a wiener dog or a terrier was a threat?? I think this officer needs to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, be put on suspension without pay and be forced to repeat his basic classes involving dealing with pets at the police academy including how to handle your weapon!

Px

Highest number of fatalities in the last year appears to 42 from dog bite.

Annual data from 2014 shows that 48% (20) of the fatality victims were children 13-years and younger, and 52% (22) were adults, 20-years and older. Of the total adults killed by dogs in 2014, 73% (16) were ages 50-years and older.

We use mace on freaking BEARS. Mace the dog, if it's still coming at you and actually trying to bite or does, fine, shoot it, though I really think with just a modicum of training it would be unnecessary.

Cops need to be weighing their personal safety WITH the publics. Shooting at a dog can result in missing and shooting a kid. Given the statistics, and other tools at their disposal, it seems incredibly imprudent to be shooting at dogs.

Some big , nasty dogs will go straight for your throat .
It's a natural instinct that is almost unstoppable .
On Fraser Island , the dingoes are deadly in this respect.

However , a boxer/terrier cross probably can't jump that high
and could be subdued. Personal injury may result though , so
more training of LEO needs to happen . In this case , in
hindsight , he should have phoned ahead , to assess
the environment .

a reply to: radarloveguy

However , a boxer/terrier cross probably can't jump that high
and could be subdued

It's not really helping my argument that cops need to stop shooting dogs, but let's be real here.

a reply to: eisegesis

When you shoot a four yr old girl in the leg?
You need a lot more than just training.
You need to be disarmed for life.

a reply to: Domo1

Strictly speaking that dog has NOT jumped straight up 14'.
He ran up the wall , even people can acheive crazy stunts doing that.
A boxer/terrier cross is NOT a pitbull , that is why they
are not deemed 'dangerous' and banned , like they are here .

I agree , in the OP , this dog did not require shooting
and if a phone call was made before the fact , this
unfortunate incident would not have occured..

originally posted by: randyvs
a reply to: eisegesis

When you shoot a four yr old girl in the leg?
You need a lot more than just training.
You need to be disarmed for life.

It appears you are correct. More training is not the answer. It has already been provided and available.

I guess in that good ol' American spirit, they just don't give a damn. You can lead a pig to water, but can't make it apply the training it learned. Derp

Police opening fire on dogs is surprisingly common, to the point where in 2011 the Justice Department released a report on cop-canine encounters that, in the words of Time's Charlotte Alter and Justin Worland, "included advice on how to handle dogs without killing them."

Pet Owners Look to Muzzle Police Who Shoot Dogs

The Fourth Amendment argument gained traction in 2005, when the San Jose chapter of the Hells Angels sued the city and the police department because officers had killed dogs during a gang raid in 1998. A federal appeals judge found that “the Fourth Amendment forbids the killing of a person’s dog… when that destruction is unnecessary,” and the Hells Angels ultimately won $1.8 million in damages. In addition to the St. Clair lawsuit, other lawsuits stemming from police shootings of dogs are being planned or filed in Idaho, California, and Nevada.

At the same time, animal-rights activists are lobbying police departments to implement pet training for all officers. Several states including Illinois and Colorado have enacted measures to reduce dog shootings, and others states are considering legislation. In 2011, the Department of Justice published a report on dog-related police incidents, which included advice on how to handle dogs without killing them.