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Follow us on TwitterDanville chief defends officer in dachshund shooting
“Killer” the dachshund
Published: June 12, 2009
Updated: June 12, 2009
At a news conference Thursday, Danville Police Chief Philip Broadfoot said he regretted that a miniature dachshund was shot and killed, but he did not regret Officer Murrill McLean’s decision-making process that led to the dog’s death.
“The fact of the matter is that the dog was running loose, that it placed officer McLean in a precarious situation, and that officer McLean made a judgment decision in a fraction of a second that cannot be reversed,” Broadfoot said. “I’m not expressing regret over the decision.”
The news conference was the result of a Monday incident involving a Danville police officer and the miniature dachshund named Killer. Broadfoot revisited the incident as he read a prepared statement during the news conference.
He said that McLean went to the 100 block of Berman Drive to serve warrants at about 8:50 p.m. Monday. The 11-year-old dog owned by neighbors next door approached the officer aggressively, showing its teeth and growling, he said. That type of behavior is characteristic of a dog with rabies, Broadfoot said.
When the dog lunged at McLean, he drew his pistol and fired one shot, hitting and killing the dog.
“I don’t think he overreacted,” Broadfoot said. “I think he reacted based on the information he had at the time.”
Broadfoot said that no disciplinary action would be taken against McLean. A Wednesday news release stated that McLean acted within department policy. Broadfoot said that the department would hold internal discussions to prepare for similar situations, but policy wouldn’t fundamentally change.
“There is no way any police department anywhere in the U.S. will change a policy that says an officer has the right to defend themselves,” he said.
Broadfoot said the delay between the time of the shooting and the department’s acknowledgement was due to a vacation he was on from Monday to Wednesday. During the vacation, he didn’t have access to e-mail.
Danville has a leash law that requires dogs to be on a leash when off the owner’s property, Broadfoot added. Killer was not on his owner’s property Monday night at the time of the shooting.
The community reaction did not surprise the police chief, he said.
“I’m appreciative of the fact that the community is so caring,” Broadfoot said. “Anything that makes us think closely about what we are going to do with deadly force is always a good thing.”
McLean joined the Danville Police Department in 2005. Since then, he has never had a disciplinary violation, Broadfoot said. McLean also is a staff sergeant in the Virginia National Guard with more than 14 years of military service, including a tour in Iraq.
“Officer McLean is no stranger to challenges, to adversity, to managing fear or to rational decision-making,” Broadfoot said. “Any attempt to characterize him as reckless is inconsistent with his proven record of responsible behavior.”
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Reader Reactions
Sausage dog owners and lovers from all over America should converge on Danville to demand justice.
A “Sausage Dog” Million Paw March ending in front of the police station demanding resignations should take place.
“I have a dream that, one day, all police officers will have an I.Q, above 63.“ (and so on and so forth)
I just had to say something here. Chief Broadfoot and Officer McClean have both humiliated and embarassed themselves in ways that will forever render them ineffective in their job in that community. Officer McClean’s horrific judgment and apparent cowardice and Chief Proudfoot’s defense of same have literally made them laughing stocks and pure objects of derision, scorn and disrespect regionally and in the community. They have have embarrassed themselves and their positions to a degree that cannot be undone. Officer McClean’s actions were simply vicious, wildly overreactive, somewhat frightening and entirely inexplicable. Anyone who has ever seen or been around a miniature dachshund understands this clearly. Chief Proudfoot’s only option was to offer a TOTAL mea culpa on behalf of all involved and place his officer on leave pending an evaluation. Perhaps then their careers and reputations might have been salvaged. His defense of the event makes him look equally idiotic and cowardly.
The good people of Danville deserve better than this. As this story spreads (and it is spreading) the shame of it all spreads with it.
Brandi, you silly fool, there was absolutely no good reason to shoot an “unarmed” defenseless animal!!! This cop needs to have counseling to control his aggression! The next time it may be a person looking down the barrel of this big “macho” man cop!!
Mr. Blackjack…
It was sarcasm you moron.
I am glad this dog did not have the chance to bite this cop because the cop probably hadn’t had his Rabies shot.
Arthur Pewty, are you for real? I to have worked with many breeds of dogs and I laugh at your stupid comment. I am also a former Marine and I assure you I am not afraid of one little dog when I have pepper spray and a baton.
I_have_an_opinion
<quote>The reason many people want a job as an officer is so they can kill and beat others. There are way too many sick police out there and the ones that are emotionally well start to think excessive force are normal. Lynchburg is full of them.</quote>
Really? I guess now we know. Sheesh…....
I’m shocked that some of you do not understand the danger that poor police officer was in. I’m even more shocked, having worked with attack dogs in the military, that the brave officer was able to stop “KILLER” with only one shot. I have personally seen a fully trained commando pump 6 shots into a rampaging miniature sausage dog and not even slow him down.
I have zipped up enough body bags filled with American service men and women to know that when it comes to sausage dogs you shoot first and answer questions later.
Ossama Bin Ladden himself is protected, night and day, by a viciously loyal sausage dog named “Frank” who never leaves his side. Pictures of Bin Ladden taken at his former mountain stronghold, “Tora Bora” in the Afghanistan Mountains clearly show a defiant “Frank” at his side, wearing a Cardigan.
Any attack dog trainer will tell you that once a miniature sausage dog gets the taste of human blood there is no stopping him. I have seen packs of them strip the flesh off of battle hardened soldiers faster than a school of parhanna fish.
NO! This is an officer who stared death in the face and took the action necessary to not only protect himself, but the entire community. He should receive a medal for bravery in the line of duty.
To those of you with less experience or knowledge of the breed who say, “He should have used pepper spray” I say HA!
When a long, lean KILLING machine sets its cold brown eyes on your throat, deadly force is just about the only hope you have.
I hope the brave officer is receiving professional counseling to deal with the inevitable “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” that is so common after attacks such as this. Danville is lucky to have such a man in uniform and I hope they appreciate it.
Just as i said yesterday, the chief defends the cop. You know, the poor weenie officer that couldn’t figure out what millions of mailmen have been figuring out for years.
Pepper spray will turn back any dog, so will a baton, but big bad weenie had to use his gun. Had he been bitten? No, Was the weiner going to bite the weenie? We’ll never know.
An apology like the one handed out by the supervisor called to the incident would have been much more honerable that defending the weenie. I’m sure that supervisor kicked the weenie all the way back to the squad building, what incredibly poor judgement.
Now that the chief has back him up, they are both weenies.
I hope the owners find a good lawyer.
I hope the citizens of Danville keep track the loose cannon weenie, or get him fast tracked to a mall cop (with NO GUN)
I don’t know if I’ve ever written comments to a news story but I had to on this one. First, the owners should have abided by the leash law.
That said, as an owner of three miniature dachshunds for many years, reading the terms “lunged”, “precarious situation” and “right to defend themselves” in association with a lone 11 year old weenie dog would strike me as humorous if a family didn’t lose a cherished pet out of the incident.
Further, discharging a firearm in a residential area in response to this “precarious situation” strikes me as a poor decision and surprising in light of the officer’s experience. How about mace or pepper spray? Are they harder to use?
That said, having not been there I can only offer an opinion and that opinion is that the officer made a mistake and overreacted to the situation. The officer may be a great asset to the force but it is still a mistake and an apology to the family is in order. The response of the chief would be much more respectable if he merely said that instead of trying to defend the use of deadly force against a highly dangerous “weenie dog”
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