"I just want to know why the cop had to shoot him 12 times," said Brian Basham, 24, of Pleasure Ridge Park. "Why couldn't he have just shot him once just to stop him? You don't got to shoot him 12 times."
That was the question Basham had, after his dog was shot dead by an LMPD officer, Monday.
"I'm mad I lost my dog for 12 years. It's sad," Basham said.
LMPD said it happened just before 7:00 p.m. in the 5500 block of Maryman Road. LMPD said an officer and his a K-9 unit were assisting with a Metro narcotics search, looking at a ditch outside the home, when a pit bull came out from the home and attacked the LMPD K-9 dog. Basham wasn't home at the time. He said his mother was.
"She said she let the dog out back to pee and she just heard shots out of nowhere...hears 12 shots," Basham said. "The police left the gate open. That's how he got out. They left my gate open. My dog cannot open the gate, a human can barely open that gate. It's got a lock on it and everything."
[If there is a lock on the gate, how could the police have opened it? They left the gate open and just want to find someone else to blame.]
Fearing for his partner's life, the officer shot the dog several times, killing it. The LMPD K-9 was hurt and taken to Shively Animal Hospital. LMPD said the K-9 dog is doing fine. Basham, however, was upset.
"My dog's never been aggressive toward any other dogs," Said Basham. "I've never seen him do nothing like that."
Louisville based animal rescue organization Saving Sunny's founder, Kelsey Westbrook, said something could be learned from the incident.
"I think that one thing that people need to realize is that pit bulls are not innately vicious," Westbrook said. "I'm sure this dog was just going toward these people and in this case, protecting its street and its home. It's really sad."
[What is she blathering about?! Why are they even talking to her???]
LMPD said the owner of that pit bull was cited by Animal Control. WAVE 3 told an LMPD spokesperson about Basham's claims. LMPD said they are looking into those claims.
(WAVE3 - Feb 2, 2012)
