The image of a Louisiana woman collapsed in front of her son’s beloved pet dog — which had been shot dead by police chasing a robber — has provoked an online petition demanding an investigation.
Outraged animal lovers want to know: Were police justified in using deadly force against the canine?
The Crochet family, of Lake Charles, doesn’t believe so. They said their dog, Monkey, was needlessly shot multiple times by an officer during the July 2 incident.
“She (Monkey) had not ripped his clothes, she had not tried to bite him and he shot her instead of trying to use pepper spray or some non-lethal force,” Chris Crochet told NBC affiliate KPLC in Lake Charles.
Setting off the chain events was a 911 call: A man said he was attacked by three people before they stole his car, according to police.
Cops spotted the car. Two of the suspects bailed out and were chased on foot. One of them ran through the Crochet family’s yard, police said. That’s when Monkey bolted out of the yard and crossed paths with an officer.
“The policeman at that point thought the dog was attacking him, and he shot the dog,” Lake Charles Deputy Police Chief Mark Kraus told KPLC.
But Chris Crochet’s mother, Dolores, said the officer overreacted.
“Four times (the officer) shot and the bullet went in,” Dolores Crochet told KPLC. “Others said they heard more shots. ... Well, I was with her. She walked over there and she laid down and that’s where she died.”
A picture of Dolores Crochet kneeling beside the dead dog in anguish was posted online. That triggered a petition on Change.org demanding “Justice for Monkey.”
To read the rest of this story at the New York Daily News, CLICK HERE.
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