Man Shot By Officer In Mt. Oliver Had Gun (Sez parents: "They'll PAY for this!")

[Emptymag]

http://kdka.com/local/man.dog.shooting.2.717471.html

Police: Man Shot By Officer In Mt. Oliver Had Gun

Police: Suspect Fired 'Multiple Shots' At Police Dog

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Pittsburgh Police say an officer shot a 19-year-old man after he fired on a police dog in Mt. Oliver.

It happened shortly before 7 p.m. on Arlington Avenue near 18th Street.

Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper says two uniformed officers were patrolling the area when they spotted Justin Jackson, from Pittsburgh, who they believed was armed.

They asked him to show his hands which were already underneath his shirt and jacket, Harper said. Police say Jackson had a gun.

A six-year-old German Shepherd K-9 officer named Aulf was deployed and police say Jackson "fired multiple shots." Aulf was killed.

Chief Harper says police then fired back at Jackson who died at the scene.

The officer who shot Jackson has been placed on administrative leave.

Allegheny County Police and the District Attorney's office will handle the investigation, Harper said.


Another early report:
http://www.wpxi.com/news/16180372/detail.html
__________________________________________________ ___________________

Just saw it on the 11pm news.

Screaming mother collapses on street... here we go.
All the typical crap about "getting justice for my son".

The reporter followed up with his arrest record which included weapons charges and I think assault, but I cant be sure. There were 3 things named.

More will come to light by morning, I'm sure.


I'm sure it will be spun that the bastard was protecting himself from the police dog.
Ugh.

[schr8er2000]

I am not framiliar with PA ruling and maybe someone can tell me.... I come from Wisconsin and there Police dogs are considered Police Officers.... and shooting at one of them is the same as shooting at a human Police Officer.... is that the same here ?

I do not see ( by initial reports ) as to any wrong doing by the Police Officers in this case... the man was asked to show his hands, he presented a firearm.. the dog was deployed to handle the situation... the suspect shot numerouse times at the dog and the Police Officers returned fire.... To me it case closed.....

[Emptymag]

Originally Posted by schr8er2000

I am not framiliar with PA ruling and maybe someone can tell me.... I come from Wisconsin and there Police dogs are considered Police Officers.... and shooting at one of them is the same as shooting at a human Police Officer.... is that the same here ?

I do not see ( by initial reports ) as to any wrong doing by the Police Officers in this case... the man was asked to show his hands, he presented a firearm.. the dog was deployed to handle the situation... the suspect shot numerouse times at the dog and the Police Officers returned fire.... To me it case closed.....

To the grieving/"proud" parents, I'm sure it looks like another case of police brutality. "They didn't have to shoot him!" was one of the things the father said on the news report.

[SHEPHERD321]

If police dogs are considered officers, even in another state, and they continue to bite a suspect that has surrendered, does the department get sued? Personally, I think dogs are animals. Not in the same class as cattle or chickens, but not equal to humans.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by schr8er2000

I am not framiliar with PA ruling and maybe someone can tell me.... I come from Wisconsin and there Police dogs are considered Police Officers.... and shooting at one of them is the same as shooting at a human Police Officer.... is that the same here ?

I do not see ( by initial reports ) as to any wrong doing by the Police Officers in this case... the man was asked to show his hands, he presented a firearm.. the dog was deployed to handle the situation... the suspect shot numerouse times at the dog and the Police Officers returned fire.... To me it case closed.....

Properly trained K-9 have a rank and badge number just like the Human officer that is their partner.
This is true of K-9 PD dogs, SAR, and any dog that is used to help humans, (working dogs) they are considered at the same level as the handler.

I am not going to research it, but there is a quote of the statute here on the board.
You could also find it at http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/s..._502.htm#s504A

[HiredGoon]

From another, older K9 story:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07284/824536-53.stm

"...under Pennsylvania law, it is a felony to "willfully or maliciously taunt, torment, tease, beat, kick or strike a police animal..."

K-9 dogs that work with police officers have higher status, in a legal sense, than regular pet dogs, partly because they are so valuable, said Jim Watson, national secretary of the North American Police Work Dog Association, based in Perry, Ohio. Costs to buy and train a K-9 dog range from $5,000 to $15,000, Mr. Watson said".

[Emptymag]

updated link with different video footage:
http://kdka.com/local/man.dog.shooting.2.717471.html


Also, the dog, who was taken to a veterinary hospital, died.



ETA:
Above the video footage at the above link, is a scroll bar with different news reports on this shooting.



Here's a more detailed written account from the newspaper:


Officer kills man during run-in with K-9
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
By Wade Malcolm, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Anna Jackson, left, is consoled by two unidentified people near where her son, Justin, 19, was fatally shot by Pittsburgh police yesterday.



A Pittsburgh police officer shot and killed a 19-year-old Allentown man who shot and killed a K-9 dog during a confrontation in Mount Oliver last night.
A crowd of angry onlookers, including the victim's family, quickly gathered at the scene in the 1600 block of Arlington Avenue. Dozens of officers also arrived on the scene, some with K-9 dogs, to help keep the crowd under control.


The victim's parents identified him as Justin Jackson of the 1500 block of Arlington Avenue. A spokesman for the Allegheny County medical examiner's office confirmed Mr. Jackson had died but said the cause and manner of death would be determined in an autopsy today.


The K-9 dog, named Aulf, was 6 years old and was assigned to an officer who is a 12-year veteran of the police bureau, said Chief Nate Harper.


Chief Harper, appearing at a news conference last night at police headquarters, gave this account of the shooting, which occurred shortly before 7 p.m.:


The officer, who is a member of the police bureau's street response unit, spotted a man walking down Arlington Avenue with his hand concealed under his jacket.


Believing the man was holding a gun, the officer stopped and told him to pull his hand from his pocket. The officer reported that he saw a gun and released the K-9 to subdue Mr. Jackson.


Mr. Jackson shot the dog and the officer immediately fired his weapon at the suspect. Both men fired several rounds, Chief Harper said. The officer, who was not identified, was not wounded in the shooting.


At the time of the shooting, Mr. Jackson was on the sidewalk and the officer was standing in the street, Chief Harper said.


The spot where the shooting occurred is just over the city line in the borough of Mount Oliver.


Two blocks of Arlington Avenue were closed by police as they investigated.


The victim's father, Donald James Jackson, said a police officer told him "our dog got shot so we killed him."


"They killed my son execution-style, not in the leg," the older Mr. Jackson said. "I understand things go wrong but I'm sure there's a better way to handle it."


Chief Harper said Allegheny County police and the district attorney's office will investigate the shooting. When asked, he said early indications are that the officers acted appropriately.


Chief Harper said he met with family members of the victim after the shooting. "It's a very unfortunate incident. Any time a life is lost, it's unfortunate."


The chief said it was "a shame the dog also had to sacrifice its life."


"The K-9 did what it was trained to do," he said.


Police departments have gone to great lengths to protect their dogs, some even buying them bullet-proof vests, which can cost more than $1,000 each.


Pittsburgh police have estimated that each year three or four dogs are injured in scuffles with suspects.


In the 1970s, two police dogs were shot when they tried to disarm a hostage taker. They both survived; one retired, the other returned to duty.


In November, Aucy James Andrews, 59, of the Hill District, was shot twice by an unnamed K-9 officer near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Van Braam Street. Police said Mr. Andrews stabbed a fellow tenant in the throat after an argument at his apartment complex, then tried to stab a police dog before approaching the K-9 officer with his folding knife.


In September, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger began giving grants for police departments to purchase dogs in each town where the football team played.


"It's something we decided to do, my foundation is doing, after the police dog in my hometown [of Findlay, Ohio] got shot and killed," Mr. Roethlisberger said at the time.


Investigators hope to review the incident on videotape from security cameras placed in the area by UPMC.

[Philadelphia]

Originally Posted by Emptymag

[ "They killed my son execution-style, not in the leg," the older Mr. Jackson said. "I understand things go wrong but I'm sure there's a better way to handle it."

Execution style, huh? Do they give an executed prisoner a gun and have him shoot a police dog when police order him to show hands?

The guy refused to show hands so the police set the dog on him. The guy puilled a gun and opened fire. As would be expected, the cops stopped him by shooting him. They must be pretty good shots because the guy died.

Give the cops a medal.

[jkp1187]

EDIT: Please delete. I misread the article.

[Mabuz]

Saw this on the news this morning too. The guy shot and killed a police dog, who knows if he was going to turn to the other officers next...I would have done the same thing.