Too many companion animals in the City of Fort Worth and across the State are being heinously shot by reckless police officers without accountability.

REMEMBERING LILY A REASON FOR CHANGE

On May 26, 2012 (Memorial weekend) Officer Frank Brown of the Ft.Worth PD Eastside Division, went to the wrong address – our address - in response to a copper theft call two blocks away. The initial police media release of May 27 stated, “Officer Brown started looking for suspects in the surrounded area from the offense location (4900 Norma) – he stopped at 4717 Norma.” His squad car GPS shows that our address is the ONLY address he went to. The address of our home is marked in four distinct places.

Mark was putting groceries in our garage refrigerator when Mark saw Officer Brown at the end of our driveway. Mark immediately asked Officer Brown to “hold on a minute” so he could “put our dogs in the backyard.” Lily and Gracey were in the garage with Mark chasing a lizard that had run behind a cabinet. However, instead of respecting Mark’s request, Officer Brown kept advancing up our driveway with his hands on his weapons belt.

When Mark saw that Officer Brown was not respecting his request, Mark’s attention went from Gracey and Lily to Officer Brown. Gracey ran out of the back yard when Mark yelled out again to Officer Brown - Lily followed Gracey out. Officer Brown then walked up the side steps to our front porch and took a position on a platform to the side of the steps that is level with the porch.

Gracey went in the direction of the grass on the other side of our driveway while Mark yelled out to Officer Brown, “it’s okay our dogs are friendly and do not bite – please wait.” Gracey stopped and went to Mark when he called her and he took hold of her in the grass 20 ft. away from Officer Brown on the other side of the driveway – Gracey never went in the direction of Officer Brown. Lily, our border collie, in the meantime trotted up to the porch, and stopped at the top of the porch with her wagging her tail. Shockingly and without provocation, Officer Brown recklessly drew his gun, looked at Cindy who had called for Lily, and shot Lily in the back between the shoulder blades. Officer Brown literally had to fully extend his arm to shoot her in the back. At the time Lily was shot, she had all four feet on the ground, and she had stopped and turned to Cindy in response to Cindy calling her name.

When Cindy saw Officer Brown draw his gun, she began begging and pleading with him to stop. Instead, Officer Brown chose to shoot and kill Lily who was no less than 5 ft away from Officer Brown, not barking and facing Cindy in response to Cindy’s call.

After shooting Lily, Officer Brown then pointed his gun at Cindy, then Mark, then back at Cindy, and ordered Mark to put Gracey in the backyard. Mark literally carried Gracey to the backyard. It was only after Mark put Gracey in the backyard that Officer Brown stopped pointing his gun at Cindy and Mark and put his gun away.

Lily died from the bullet that blew through her body. Lily was our child and she is forever gone because of Officer Brown. Officer Brown had no legal reason to be on our property. Officer Brown refused to tell us why he was at our home until after he had killed Lily.

The City of Fort Worth, FWPD and Officer Brown must be held accountable for the heinous killing of Lily. We all deserve better from the FWPD and our City. We all deserve to be able to believe in the FWPD and to believe that Chief Halstead, Mayor Price and the entire City Council will stand accountable. Please sign this Petition that demands that Officer Frank Brown be held accountable for killing Lily and for all of his actions before and after he killed Lily and also to demand change in the FWPD and City of Fort Worth policy regarding deadly force on a companion animal and its “philosophy” regarding respect for the dignity and sanctity of all Life not just human life.