Doggycide in Athens, Louisiana

Tera the golden retriever

Officer chases after would-be bank robbers, takes the time to shoot dead a golden retriever:

Michaela McCowen says she was sitting inside her house Thursday morning when she heard two gunshots in the yard. When she ran outside, she saw her dog lying in a pool of blood.
"She's on the ground and she's been shot and she's bleeding," said McCowen while standing outside her home in Athens, LA.
McCowen's 6-year old Golden Retriever, Tera, later died. She was shot twice by a Claiborne sheriff's detective.
"He saw the dog coming at him full speed, and showing his teeth. He told me he thought he was fixing to bite him," said Claiborne Sheriff Ken Bailey.
Sheriff Bailey says authorities were tracking some men who'd just tried to rob the bank in Athens when the shooting happened. Bailey says the detective felt threatened by the dog. McCowen says Tera, who was wearing a shock collar at the time, wouldn't have hurt a flea.

[…]

McCowen says what made the heartbreaking situation even worse is authorities showed no remorse. The sheriff says he couldn't be more sorry.
"I told the McCowens and I apologized for what happened, It's just an unfortunate incident. I hate it," said Bailey.

That’s odd. Not only is there the usual confusion over whether the dog was actually aggressive or not, but now even the police’s claim that they apologized is being disputed. At least an investigation has been launched.

(via @radleybalko)

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Doggycide Bingo Index

Confirmed hits:

Dead Tera

Tera was trained with shock collar/invisible fencing

Cop shot first

Golden Retriever

Apology disputed (half a point?)

Cop had no business at that property

Cop claimed Tera was aggressive; McCowen disagrees

Total: 6½/25

Tags: Tera the golden retriever • Michaela McCowen • Athens, LA • Ken Bailey • Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office