Police kill Cool Hand Luke, a chocolate Lab
Cool Hand Luke, a chocolate Lab, was shot and killed by police officers responding to a burglar alarm in Georgia.
His owner wants an apology.
“I don’t want anything else out of this,” said Robby King of Smyrna. “This is life changing for me. Luke was such a big part of my life and I didn’t realize what all I did with him until now.”
The 6-year-old chocolate lab was shot by a Cobb County police officer Sunday, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
A spokesman for the Cobb County Police Department told the newspaper that, while he could not discuss the incident, the two officers involved “followed proper protocol.”
King, 45, says he accidentally triggered the burlgar alarm at his home Sunday afternoon, and couldn’t remember the password required to turn it off.
Two Cobb County police officers, identified as J.P. Gibson and G. M. Roach, responded.
Roach, in his report, said that when he opened the back door of the home and announced he was a police officer a “large brown dog” came running toward him, “barking aggressively.”
According to his report — and we’ll admit to not understanding this part – he didn’t close the door because it would have put him in “immediate risk of danger from the unknown that was inside the residence.”
He continues: “While quickly retreating out of the patio, the large brown dog continued to charge toward me in an aggressive manner while continuously barking at me as he advanced on me. The large dog closed the distance between me and him in less than three seconds. I fired one round at the large dog and it continued charging me in an aggressive manner as if the dog’s main focus was attacking and harming me. I fired one more round at the large dog and it immediately collapsed falling to its left side in the grass.”
Did he mention it was a large dog?
Gibson’s report described things more briefly: ”A dog began to bark and came at Officer Roach. Officer Roach shot the dog.”
King says he never heard the officers announce their presence.
“… I heard Luke bark and I said, ‘Luke come,’ as I was headed through the house … I heard a pop, pop and as I was headed out the door, I said, ‘Oh God, please don’t shoot my dog,’ and Luke was laying there, gasping for air.”
King said Luke always barked when someone was at the door.
“… If the officer had just stopped, Luke would have gone up to him and just sniffed him and probably would have gone and gotten a ball to fetch. I know the (officer) didn’t know that, but my point is that he didn’t have to shoot my dog. He could have shot up in the air, maced him, kicked him, whatever he wanted to do. He wouldn’t have bit him.”
Police also said they were told by a neighbor that Luke had bitten her.
The neighbor, though, who is also King’s sister, told the Daily Journal that police apparently misunderstood her. She said she told them she’d recent been bitten by another dog, a Chihuahua.
“The reason I said that was because I was trying to point out to them that this little dog bit me and Luke never even bit nobody,” she said.
King, who adopted Luke when the dog was six months old, buried him near the garden in his backyard late Sunday night.
“I haven’t been able to stop crying. This was the hardest thing I ever had to do,” he said.
(Photo by Todd Hull / Marietta Daily Journal)
Posted by jwoestendiek September 20th, 2012 under Muttsblog.
Tags: animals, apology, burglar alarm, chocolate, chocolate lab, Cobb County, cool hand luke, dog, dogs, georgia, kill, lab, labrador, luke, marietta, pet, pets, police, robby king, shoot, shooting
Comments
Comment from Sonya
Time September 20, 2012 at 10:23 am
A Justice for Luke Facebook page has been started and is growing fast. Please cross post and also email the Cobb County Authorities so this doesn’t happen again! Email addresses are on the Facebook Page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justice-for-Luke/174450632679714
Comment from Cristi
Time September 20, 2012 at 11:51 am
I think the cop should be fired! Your supposed to protect and serve?! Your scared of a dog?! When you know the owner is at the house. This is crazy! What has our world come to!
Comment from Guest
Time September 20, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Are cops in the US that big a wimp that they need a gun against an innocent dog? Seriously, I respect police officers but not any officer who pulls a gun and shoots a dog defending it’s home. SHAME ON YOU!
Comment from Leann Dyer
Time September 20, 2012 at 12:37 pm
King, I’m So Very Sorry for the loss of Luke. Our dogs are such an important part of our lives in every way. Luke was doing his job protecting you and his home. He died a hero. The officer should had shut the door or fired in the air. I’m so sad this was not the action taken. Find peace in your memories and I know so I’m certain Luke knew how very much you loved him. Another pup could and will help heal your heart. Not to take Lukes place but to just help fill a void. Thinking of you and sending (((hugs)))
Comment from Erin
Time September 20, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Amazing how the police can shoot dogs who are in their own homes, barking as dogs will bark, but CAN NOT do anything about the “large” dog that bit my 11 year old child while she was bike riding…in the street, where one usually rides bikes. The dog is still there and still gets out to menace people. The owners weren’t home when their dog got out and bit my child and the cops had THE NERVE to say “maybe she teased the dog”. Right.
Comment from Ramona
Time September 20, 2012 at 1:20 pm
RIP Luke – I am SO SORRY for your loss : (
Comment from Syndee
Time September 20, 2012 at 1:24 pm
This is happening far too often. It seems like cops are getting trigger happy when it comes to pets/ Luke was doing his job as much as the officer was. Alerting his owner to intruders in their home. Is it a requirement nowadays that police are totally ignorant as to how dogs react to having their space invaded?? Have they never owned a dog? Never lost a beloved pet?
Comment from Sharon
Time September 20, 2012 at 5:57 pm
I once had a cop respond to one of my comments by telling me that he knew other cops who were so scared of dogs they’d shoot and kill a Chihuahua. My response? NO ONE SHOULD BECOME A COP IF THEY’RE SCARED OF DOGS!!!! There are dogs in well over 60% of American households, and many of those homes have more than one. There is no excuse for anyone to come to a home if there’s the slightest chance they might murder someone’s family member out of cowardice. Also, that cop DIDN’T follow procedure with the alarm, unless that alarm company operates differently than every other company I’ve ever dealt with. I also hope Mr. King changes his mind and sues the cop and that department, because that’s the only way to effect change where these killers are concerned, and yes, this cop should be fired!
Comment from charles rogers
Time November 5, 2012 at 10:18 am
It is a felony offense for you and I to kill a dog. This officer could have hit him with his baton or sprayed him with pepper spray. He too should be charged for a felony because that dog did not know him from a intruder and was in his mind protecting his owner. This police has me listed as dangerous because I am a witness against them for murder of two friends in the 1990´s and have new evidence against them so if I wind up murdered by the police then at least all of you will know why. Glenn Turner was murdered to cover up Chris Millers murder. Archer and Dunkerton admit their warning by him and did nothing but all three were seen by me and three others meeting with Chris Miller one night in 1991. None of them came forward in June 1993 to identify her and some of them were sexually involved with her. I know why they murdered her, I just don´t know how but I cannot wait to get in front of any jury and I don´t care which court.
Comment from smoketoomuch
Time September 20, 2012 at 9:54 am
“Luke always barked when someone was at the door” Why? Because, that’s what dogs do! Duh!!! By my (unofficial) count, this is at least the third story of “cop shoots dog” in recent weeks in these pages. This abuse of power needs to be stopped!!