ALBANY, GA –- A routine visit by probation officers to a Georgia woman’s trailer ended in the use of lethal force against her two year old, twelve pound Jack Russel terrier/cocker spaniel mix, Patches. The 300-lb officer claimed that the 12-lb terrier threatened his life and required lethal force to protect himself.
On October 7th at 3:09 pm at the Loblolly Estates Mobile Home Park, probation officers Antoine Jones and Ronnie Simmons arrived, as they had before, to check on Sherry Shelton’s son.
According to an incident report filed by Jones, Sherry Shelton opened the door, and the dog, Patches (a friend’s pet), charged at Jones aggressively. After directing Shelton to restrain Patches, Jones drew his firearm (Georgia parole officers re-qualify twice annually with a Glock semi-automatic pistol) and shot Patches once through her chest.
Jones notified his supervisor, Chief Probation Officer Kimberly Persley, and was instructed to contact the Albany Police Department.
The police report, in which Jones is described as measuring 6 feet tall and 300 pounds, quotes the parole officer: “He stated that he gave the dog verbal commands to get back but the dog continued to come towards him in an aggressive manner so he fired one shot at the dog using his duty weapon”.
Patches fled to the side of the house and was dead after 30 minutes.
According to Shelton, she told Jones that the dog would not bite. After Patches had been shot, Shelton demanded an explanation from Jones as to why he would use lethal force against such a small animal, and he responded that he was afraid for his life.
In a statement from the Georgia Department of Corrections, the agency claims that “it was determined that the Probation Officer responded appropriately.”
It is not clear how the GDC’s determination was arrived at, though it is common in these cases for agencies to close ranks, and only respond with carefully worded statements that deny any possible wrongdoing, especially in the face of the kind of media attention this case has received. If Patches had been a human, for this to be an appropriate action it would mean that the officer had reasonable cause to fear for his life or fear great bodily harm. The officer would also have had to deem that no other option on the ‘use of force continuum’ would be effective, since administering deadly force is a last resort.
While fear for one’s life is a subjective state, it is hard to imagine that between two adult probation officers (who must undergo physical fitness assessments and defensive training), bodily force would not have been an effective means of deterring bodily harm, let alone death (which has not befallen a single police officer at the hands paws of a dog since 1923).
Was the officer’s use of force proportional to the threat? Perhaps Sherry Shelton failed in her responsibility to keep a poorly trained animal away from the officers, but there were clearly other options available, especially considering the dog’s size.
What this case shows, yet again, is that new guidelines are needed for officers as to what is appropriate, and training in how to differentiate between a dog that is excited, or acting territorially, and a dog that is going to attack, and how to defuse the situation in a way that doesn’t leave the dog dead.
“But without government, who would shoot the dogs?”
Probation officer Antoine Jones in Albany, GA fatally shoots 12-pound dog Patches on 07-Oct-13.
http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?id=956749
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05C1WSkBNno
And I was all like: Pew Pew Pew, ‘Merica!
http://becausemerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/pew-pew-pew.jpg
These dog-shooting incidents seem to be on the uptick. A consequence, I suppose, of the Cult of Officer Safety.
Every 98 minutes a dog is shot by law enforcement. A documentary is in the works: Puppycide by Ozymandias Media.
East Saint Louis dog “Colt” shot by cop and left to die in a field
http://fox2now.com/2013/10/09/dog-left-for-dead-after-allegedly-shot-by-police/
Asst ESL Police Chief: “We shoulda done something proper! How we shoot a dog and then leave a damn dog in a field? And you wonder why these people say the shit they say about us?!”
Grandma says her 8 year old grandson had been throwing rocks at “Colt” when the dog bit him. He had been undergoing rabies treatment, but now that the dog is found, it can be determined whether the dog has rabies or not.
Dogs Shot By Police
http://www.facebook.com/DogsShotbyPolice
As shitty as ‘Merica is, is it true no other nation is anywhere near as productive in contributing to the world’s 71 Trillion Gross World Product, except for China?
Maybe these numbers are bullshit, or they include war and propaganda products that no one really wants to buy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_world_product
If they were really “heroes” like so many pretend they are, shouldn’t they be willing to risk their lives for us?
I remember a quote I saw one time “A hero will put his life in danger for your safety, a cop will put your life in danger for his safety.” I know that’s mean and insensitive (To the average person, not to you guys obviously) but too often its true.
No, David – it is absolutely true.
The cops openly tell us so. That their “safety” is paramount. Not ours.
This is why I constantly make fun of all the “hero” talk. If they were in fact such, they would – as you say – risk their lives for the sake of ours. They would put our “safety” ahead of theirs.
Instead, what do they do as a matter of routine, reflexive policy?
I need not even elaborate.
Why does it matter how heavy he is?
Multiple reasons:
– Fleeing suspect: Need to catch suspect. Can’t run worth a crap if you’re a fat ass. (I’d post my own photo here, as I am the “proud owner” [not really] of 60 pounds of excess. Glass houses, stones, yeah – I can MOVE stones, but I am rarely inclined to MOVE. 🙁 Personal failing the gym is constantly helping me beat back. Done it twice so far…)
– Health issues: ESPECIALLY Since ObamaDon’tCare: All the extra weight destroys you. Multiple ways: Extra blood vessels = harder work on the heart – just to provide food and oxygen to the cells. Repeated banging on the knees = arthritic damage. Happens to all of us as we age – but the heavier you are, the worse it gets. See also, a reason to NOT hit the gym, because you’re too damn fat. But you need to do two things to burn it off: 1, Change diet, 2, move more, and harder. Lift more weight. Run more. Swim more. Fight more. (For fun, like boxing.)
– Putting together point 1 with the subtext of point 2, especially if you’re looking at a much thinner suspect getting away, and there’s even a HINT of “RESPECT MAH AUTHORITEE!” – you’re likely to resort to excessive force, like shooting him in the back. Then you count on your brother porkers to back you up…
There are a few times you see heavy guys move – football linebackers, say, whom I’ve seen run a marathon. But look at a Strongman competition and see what’s going on there, and guess which one runs marathons… 😉
Or, watch a marthon, and guess which ones can lift more than their lunch sandwich…
We tend to specialize. If you don’t work at it, especially in our chemical-soup-laden food system, you WILL specialize in getting fat. After that, you develop chronic problems. I’ve beaten it twice – but every time the woman is around, my weight goes up again. She’s not the direct cause, but there’s a proximate cause in there somewhere – stress eating, or change in foods selected, or portion size, or all of the above. (Plus, she makes me look industrious.) But you either fight it or give in to entropy – and I’m finding a sloppy body is indicative of a sloppy mind. (Manifests in other ways, too – like a sloppy house, sloppy desk, poorly trained wife/kids/dogs, etc.)
@David – For the exact reason that this is a story. He is out contacting known criminals as a creer choice. At 6’00” and 300Lbs. he is unhealthy and unable to defend himself or be athletic enough to do anything other then shoot a gun. When all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail. He is also not going to make it a 20 or 30 year career before costing the agency that employed him an excessive amount in medical, workers compensation and early retirement compared to a healthy person.
In a free society, a lardass like this would never shoot someone’s dog, because he would fear for his life at the hands of the dog’s owner. Of course, in a free society, a lardass like him wouldn’t be employed by the state to go into the homes of people as though those homes were jail cells.
The claim that the lardass “must undergo physical fitness assessments and defensive training” is absurd. Any physical fitness assessment would result in lardass being fired immediately. The fat bastard got his job in the first place by virtue of the fact that he’s black. He will keep his job no matter what he does or fails to do for the same reason.
“Any physical fitness assessment would result in lardass being fired immediately.”
Ditto that, Ed.
300 pounds on six feet is morbidly obese according to the BMI chart. Even a competitive super heavyweight bodybuilder (Ralf Moller, etc.) is in the 270 lb. range with 4 percent or so body fat.
I doubt this dude has 4 percent bodyfat.
The upside is he’ll be taken out of circulation soon enough by arthritic joints, diabetes/kidney failure, heart attack or stroke.
Can’t happen soon enough.
Yep, 230 pounds at 6 feet tall would be about the maximum weight a typical bodybuilder of that height would weigh. That would put the bodybuilder into the “obese” category of a chart, while ignoring his actual fitness. 300 lbs on the same size frame points to obesity.
If the fat bastard continues to operate the way he did in this instance, he won’t be around long enough to die from any of the usual lardass related health problems. He’s in Georgia, after all.
I’m 6ft 3 and medium-framed. At 227, I was overweight. Not obviously “fat” – but had a gut.
I’m now an athletic 195 (32 waist) and could still stand to lose a few pounds.
eric, I’d go to the doc when I was a kid, weigh in and then read everything in the exam room including the weight chart. I’d say to the doc. Damn, I’m 15 pounds overweight? He’d laugh and say Don’t worry about it. I can’t float either so I asked about that. He said Your skeleton is too big, need to fatten up’. I had noticed the fat kids and girls could float fine. I wasn’t the only one to have that problem but it was kinda funny at times. I’d do a float and gradually sink to the bottom. Friends would give me hell. Come on up, the air is fine. I’d grin. I could hold my breath 3 minutes back then. I can hold it about 30 seconds now, help, gimme some air.
6′ tall, 300 lbs. that’s a lot of lard. He’d better watch out for rendering plant agents instead of tiny dogs.
(who must undergo physical fitness assessments and defensive training), WTF kind of assessments do they do for sweat hog 300 pounders? Pulling a Glock out of a holster?
The thought occurred to me too.
No, wait, it’s probably OK, he must be on statins, for cholesterol, something for his high blood pressure, Xanax for anxiety, and Nutrasweet instead of sugar.
All part of this healthy breakfast. Never mind that all of the above have neurological side effects, and effects in combination are not well studied yet.
…
…
@horse – The non-discrimination ADA he got hired under and the Xanax – type 2 diabetes medication interaction. “The voices told me I was in mortal danger.” He probably has a defense that will fly.
Mainstream institutional Christitanity and the fear gene. Slave sermons.
Religion Keeps Blacka(& ‘Muricans) In Fear
Get that wench! Get her down! Get her dog too!
Roots – Mutiny on a Slave Ship
Tribute to “Toby” – Kunta Kinte – of Roots.
Roots – Music Video