Trial Looms in Federal Case Over Death of Family Pet Shot by Police in Front of Girl, 12
In a scenario that is increasingly in the news as the subject of internal investigations and legal claims, two police officers in Connecticut are set to go to trial in federal court in Hartford on Monday for killing a family pet after entering the perimeter of a home.
The guardian of a 12-year-old girl who, a lawsuit says, saw her dog slain by the defendant officers after they came into the yard without a warrant is seeking compensatory and punitive damages on her behalf over the December 2006 incident, as well as attorney fees, the Hartford Courant reports.
The suit alleges that the officers violated the child’s constitutional due process rights by engaging in actions “so extreme, callous and outrageous that they fell outside the scope of acceptable police behavior.”
Calls by the newspaper to the defendants and their lawyer were not returned.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “After Seeing Dashcam Video of Deputy Shooting Family Dog, Jury Awards $620K in Civil Rights Case”
Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont): “Brattleboro police look at training, changes in wake of dog shooting”
KLAS-TV (Las Vegas): “Metro Officers Involved in Dog Shooting ID’d”
New York Daily News: “Recording catches Texas cop killing man’s dog”
Updated at 5:51 p.m. to include links to related coverage.
