Deputy shoots pit bull in front of 10-year-old girl!
RALEIGH, North Carolina - February 11, 2010 - The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Grimesland family’s complaint about the shooting death of the family dog by a deputy last week as a 10-year-old family member stood close by.
Conflicting accounts given by the deputy and the young girl who watched the February 1 incident spurred the investigation, Chief Rick Fisher said Thursday.
Preliminary accounts indicate that Deputies J.E. Neal and K.R. Waters were dispatched to the home on Black Jack-Grimesland Road in response to a neighbor’s complaint of loud music, an investigator said.
The music was coming from a barn adjacent to the house, according to both Ravonda Green, the child’s mother, and the deputy’s report.
Her son had left the stereo on and closed the door with the dog, a pit bull, inside before going to another family member’s home nearby, Green said.
The girl went to the barn to turn the music down, and the dog ran from the barn and began to bark at Neal.
What happened after that is in dispute, according to separate accounts Neal gave his supervisor and the girl gave her mother.
Neal told his supervisor that the dog attacked him when the girl opened the barn door, leaving him no choice but to shoot it in self-defense, Fisher said.
Green shared her daughter’s account of the incident.
The girl had gone to the barn to turn the music down, and the dog ran out of the barn and began to bark at Neal, Green said. She said the dog was trained to obey family commands and halted when the girl told it to, but continued to bark at Neal.
The girl was unable to stop the dog’s barking, and she became concerned for its safety when she saw Neal searching for something at his belt, Green said.
Her daughter began to reach for the dog with the intent of pulling it behind her, but as she did so, Neal pulled his gun and shot it once in the head, killing it, according to Green’s report of her daughter’s account.
Neal’s preliminary report to Fisher was that the dog charged him and appeared to be attacking him, leaving him no option but to shoot it.
Both parties agreed that the girl was standing nearby when the shot was fired, but accounts differ about her precise location.
“That is one of the things we will investigate,” Fisher said. “There are some issues that weren’t included in the original report, so we will investigate those.”
Green said the deputy’s choice to shoot the dog was of particular concern because her daughter was standing there.
“I could have lost a child as well as a dog that day,” she said.
The chief limited his comments - “in fairness to both parties” - because he is faced with an active investigation.
“It’s an emotional situation, and I certainly understand her being emotional about it. In her shoes, I would be, too. But we will look into the facts and see what we come up with,” Fisher said.
If a deputy is found to have fired his or her weapon inappropriately, consequences may include retraining, disciplinary action or both, said Fisher.
Conflicting accounts given by the deputy and the young girl who watched the February 1 incident spurred the investigation, Chief Rick Fisher said Thursday.
Preliminary accounts indicate that Deputies J.E. Neal and K.R. Waters were dispatched to the home on Black Jack-Grimesland Road in response to a neighbor’s complaint of loud music, an investigator said.
The music was coming from a barn adjacent to the house, according to both Ravonda Green, the child’s mother, and the deputy’s report.
Her son had left the stereo on and closed the door with the dog, a pit bull, inside before going to another family member’s home nearby, Green said.
The girl went to the barn to turn the music down, and the dog ran from the barn and began to bark at Neal.
What happened after that is in dispute, according to separate accounts Neal gave his supervisor and the girl gave her mother.
Neal told his supervisor that the dog attacked him when the girl opened the barn door, leaving him no choice but to shoot it in self-defense, Fisher said.
Green shared her daughter’s account of the incident.
The girl had gone to the barn to turn the music down, and the dog ran out of the barn and began to bark at Neal, Green said. She said the dog was trained to obey family commands and halted when the girl told it to, but continued to bark at Neal.
The girl was unable to stop the dog’s barking, and she became concerned for its safety when she saw Neal searching for something at his belt, Green said.
Her daughter began to reach for the dog with the intent of pulling it behind her, but as she did so, Neal pulled his gun and shot it once in the head, killing it, according to Green’s report of her daughter’s account.
Neal’s preliminary report to Fisher was that the dog charged him and appeared to be attacking him, leaving him no option but to shoot it.
Both parties agreed that the girl was standing nearby when the shot was fired, but accounts differ about her precise location.
“That is one of the things we will investigate,” Fisher said. “There are some issues that weren’t included in the original report, so we will investigate those.”
Green said the deputy’s choice to shoot the dog was of particular concern because her daughter was standing there.
“I could have lost a child as well as a dog that day,” she said.
The chief limited his comments - “in fairness to both parties” - because he is faced with an active investigation.
“It’s an emotional situation, and I certainly understand her being emotional about it. In her shoes, I would be, too. But we will look into the facts and see what we come up with,” Fisher said.
If a deputy is found to have fired his or her weapon inappropriately, consequences may include retraining, disciplinary action or both, said Fisher.
