Video Released of Columbia Cops Shooting "Aggressive" Dogs in Marijuana Raid

By Nicholas Phillips Tue., May 4 2010 at 3:38 PM

Categories: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

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Click here to see the Trib's hair-raising video.

"DID YOU SHOOT MY F&%ING DOG?" the man cries out in the video, pinned to wall by an officer. "OH MY GOD! WHAT THE F&%K DID YOU DO THAT FOR!"

Yes, another cop-shoots-dog story, this one from Columbia (click here for yesterday's story).

Police there raided the home of 25-year-old Jonathan E. Whitworth back in February, thinking he had a big ol' stash of Mary Jane, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune. He did not.

In fact, all he had was a wee bit of pot, a grinder and a pipe. (His wife and child were there.) He has since pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia charges. But had something else in the house that night: a corgi and a pit bull that seemed "aggressive." Police killed the pit bull and wounded the corgi.

Dog-lovers, you might not want to click on this link: theTrib has uploaded a video of the raid, in which you can hear a dog squealing in pain.

Whitworth is reportedly considering suing the police for their actions. The police are saying they think protocol was followed. The matter is being reviewed internally, as is every incident in which a weapon is fired by officers.

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pigs suck fat dick!
Wasn't the dog behind a gated kitchen doorway I heard 4 shots fired in the family home Wow they missed 3 times at CLOSE RANGE with a SMALL CHILD in the home. Those officers need to have their guns taken away from them. They are extremely dangerous to the community.
They shot that dog the minute they saw it...the dog never even barked - doubt very much it even got a chance to try to "attack". Whatever you see too much of this every day in the papers and it is happening more and more - the off duty Federal officer who shot another person's dog inside a dog park is another disgusting example.
WTF - is anyone helping these people get justice? Imagine how that little boy is traumatized are the police paying for some conseling for that little boy? ...WTF for a grinder and a little bit of weed ? Senseless slaughter of family pets in fron of children all in the name of the war on drugs. I am writing an article that will profile several cases like this, I will be including this case.
I think any cop that shoots a dog for no reason should be shot in the head.
[i]dooflotchie says: So of course they recorded it on video..., Are you frickin kidding me?[/i] No, not kidding, happens all the time all over the world including here. When is the last time you ever saw a video of police counting cash and weighing drugs found during a raid while at the raid? Never. Duh.
All I can say is they were extremely unsympathetic. They shot the dog immediately as it barked. It was easy to hear. I'm sympathetic to the dog, and the dog alone. I wish swat protocol, and people in any position (police or otherwise), would take animals into much more serious consideration. The killing of an animal is a killing none-the-less. It needs to be taken with seriousness. I'd rather one of the swat officers be bitten than the dog be killed.
"Jacob says: THINK FIRST!" Thinking for yourself is not generally a trait the superiors look for when hiring new cops...
[i]ijostl says: It appears criminal minded officers were hoping to raid and steal cash and drugs from what they thought was a drug dealer[/i] So of course they recorded it on video, fired their guns for the whole block to hear and killed the guy's dog while committing what they hoped would be a robbery they'd get away with? Are you frickin kidding me? I hope so, since actually trying to rob anyone in such a way is so colossally stupid it would definitely be on "Dumbest Criminals Ever" news reports all over the damn planet. Now unless there was some kind of barrier in the house which very obviously would have prevented the dog from getting close to those cops they'll probably be cleared of any wrongdoing. It sucks giant hairy balls, but that's the way it is. Every halfway intelligent cop knows that apprehending criminals can be dangerous (DUH!) and they have to be on their guard at all times if don't want to get killed.
Its a typical case of police not doing their homework before raiding someone home. As a result the mans dog was shot. Police are misinformed everyday, and are given warrants for just about anything.
This sort of thing needs to end! It's bad enough to storm into a house for a relatively minor offense, but even if this were a truly major criminal, the innocent victims need to be protected. Seeing your dogs shot to death is atrocious. Tranquilizers for the dogs, law enforcement. And enough with the storming in to begin with. That's been proven to cause more harm than whatever good it may ever serve. Lawmakers take note!
This is just too much!! They could have easily just shot the man's child if it was running around the house or playing with the dogs! Then what? They could of just tazed the dog or something that wouldn't KILL IT. HELLO YOUR STORMING INTO SOMEONE'S HOUSE WITH A DOG PRESENT OF COURSE IT'S GOING TO BE AGGRESSIVE!! ALL THAT NOISE AND CONFUSION. DUH THE DOG IS GOING TO BARK AND GET MAD. WHAT THE HELL!! THINK FIRST!
Citizens of this county need to stand up and scream about this. Officer safety is important but you can't just go around shooting people's pets. They are a part of the family. My heart broke hearing the pain in that man's voice when he found out they killed his dog.
These cops should be charged with animal cruelty. First off, they had no reason to shoot that dog. But then when they did, they let it suffer, yelping out in pain. You can bet that if someone who's not a cop did this, they'd be in jail.
Who is the Judge that signed off on this. If this is protocal every citizen in the United States is in danger. Watch the video, the DEA shot the first thing that moved in the doorway. No barking, no growling. This is horrifing the State has control. Your life.
At best police are nothing more than gangs of criminal thugs. In many cases, it becomes clear that they are nothing more than state-sponsored terrorist organizations. Fascist pigs. How many tax dollars were spent to allow these pigs to terrorize this family? They should be hunted down, arrested, prosecuted and sent to prison. More likely they will be given paid vacations. If they had murdered the entire family, they probably would be promoted and offered medals for their bravery.
It seems to me, and this is just my opinion, that they were acting big and tough for the camera. i think that this is a great asset for the family to have if they do pursue charges. They did not state their purpose for being there or even varify the names of the people there before shooting. That poor child! These are the kinds of things that make the younger generations not respect the law... I sincerely hope that the child can get counciling for this brutal event.
I can't believe this shit... My husband and I have an 18lb miniature austrailian shepherd an a 7 lb mini schnauzer, the police came to our apartment due to a dispute between my husband and I and the f&@) ing cop acted like he was going to shoot our dogs for being friendly and jumping up on them to greet them! I agree that they shouldn't jump up on people, but to grab his gun and act like they were being aggressive was completly uncalled for. I hope these assholes lose their jobs and get some animal cruelty charges. Dicks...
This is what happens when kids don't stop playing pretend when they grow up to dress like cops. They pretend they're heroes and moral authorities
I think it was Voltaire who suggested that at any given moment there are probably about ten truly brilliant people in the world and I add that not one of them is waging a drug war.
This is absolutely disgusting! A search warrant for a tiny bit of weed?! And then killing one of his dogs and injuring another?!?!? In front of his kids?! This country is a total joke!! I am beyond angry after viewing that video. I hope these useless cops lose their jobs.
What is more harmful to that child a) his father allegedly possessing marijuana or b) breaking into his home, murdering the family dog, and pointing assault rifles everywhere, and arresting his father who is reduced to tears in utter distress. I'm thinking b.
His kid could just as easily be dead. Cops deserve all the disrespect they get, all over the world.
It appears criminal minded officers were hoping to raid and steal cash and drugs from what they thought was a drug dealer; but instead they're caught making another foul mistake exemplifying what can only be seen as immoral, criminal minded motives. To allege these actions were motivated by some morality campaign against personal use of marijuana is the most ridiculous posturing that could be conceived. And only grandma-&-grandpa-right-wing would believe that; the other 99% of the United States of America will never accept such an obvious lie. No, these boys apparently were looking to score. Time to take marijuana off the prohibition list so corrupt police officers attempting to supplement their income by ripping off drug dealers don't make huge immoral mistakes like this.
I hate cops.
Let's not forget that the pit bull was secured in the kitchen. Any dog would be "aggressive" towards people who had just busted into their home. Remind me again why police aren't prepared for this with non-lethal measures? This is pathetic.
Seriously. Fuck anyone who shoots a dog.
The cops are right. Corgis are vicious, vicious creatures well known to snap bones and ravage faces. Assholes.