Pit Bull Attack Draws Crowd, Cop Gunshots

by Paul Bass | May 20, 2012 12:53 pm

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Posted to: West River

An elderly woman watched a pit bull suddenly maul her own dog and start tearing it apart until three officers arrived and fired a bevy of bullets into the attacker. The dramatic scene took place shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday around the corner from the Hospital of St. Raphael on Sherman Avenue near the corner of George Street. It began when two neighborhood fixtures, an elderly woman and her elderly mixed-breed dog (described by one cop as a “fat, nice old dog”), were on the sidewalk on their regular walk. Suddenly, according to the woman (who, distraught, declined to give her name) and other eyewitnesses, a pit bull lunged at the woman’s dog. It stayed on top of it, attacking it and beginning to tear off its head. Dozens of bystanders were nearby. One of them was Jessica Cruz (pictured), who works at a group home a block away and sees the woman walking the dog daily. “The pit bull was going crazy,” she said. She said the elderly woman tried to beat the pit bull back with a cane, to no avail. “The [pit bull] was locked on the other dog’s neck,” said James Burton, a 33-year-old TGIF cook who was leaving his apartment for a job. People called police, who rushed to the scene. It was 10:09 a.m. Meanwhile, Officers Jodi Novella and Kristen Fitzgerald happened to be around the corner on another call. They heard the commotion. About an hour and a half earlier, Officer Fitzgerald had seen the pit bull, on the loose and acting wild, on Whalley Avenue. At the time it had eluded her. Now she and the other cops and the crowd watched the pit bull continue to tear at its dead prey. Before firing on the pit bull, officers, with the help of neighbors, cleared bystanders away from the immediate area, police later said. An estimated 30 people had gathered. Then three officers—Novella, Fitzgerald, and Andrew Gambardella—began firing from several feet away in the street. They were worried that the dog might next attack people in the crowd, according to Lt. Kenneth Blanchard, the supervisor on the scene. First an officer fired one shot into the pit bull, according to Blanchard. That shot failed to stop the dog. Then an officer fired a second shot, hitting the dog again. Still, the pit bull kept going. At that point, Blanchard said, the officers needed to fire a lot more shots to subdue the dog in order to protect public safety. They finally killed the dog. He said he didn’t know the number of shots fired. Witnesses, including Cruz and Burton, said they saw or heard some 12-15 shots. The crowd lingered as cops covered the two dogs with a white sheet (at left in photo) until the department’s animal control officer could come retrieve them. Novella, who happens to be one of the department’s K-9 officers (her usual partner is Nia), and Fitzgerald made a point of consoling the elderly dog owner amid all the commotion. Some in the crowd called out criticisms that the police hadn’t tased the dog. Blanchard and police spokesman Officer David Hartman both said using a taser would have made the situation worse. A taser shot lasts five seconds, they said. It would have enraged the pit bull, which could then have broken free and begun attacking people in a heightened state.

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posted by: OccupyTheClassroom Where’s this dog’s owner?

posted by: THREEFIFTHS on May 20, 2012 4:02pm They should do like they do in these countries. Dog control laws and pit bulls. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6222689.stm Provincial pit bull ban upheld in Canada http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/11/Provincial-pit-bull-ban-upheld-in-Canada/UPI-48861244751067/ Pit Bull Owners and the Ohio Revised Code





Ohio Laws AFTER 5/21/2012



Ohio residents will no longer have restrictions on pit bull ownership after 5/22/2012, UNLESS:



- You live in a local municipality that has enacted restrictions or bans on pit bulls (see Known Breed-Specific Legislation and Breed Bans in Ohio Municipalities for a listing of known bans/BSL in Ohio, and also contact your local city attorney or township trustee and/or homeowners association to verify that there are no restrictions where you live).

- Your dog (regardless of breed) is declared DANGEROUS (a dog that has caused an injury to a person or killed another dog, or otherwise violated ORC 955.22) or VICIOUS (a dog that has caused serious or fatal injury to a person without provocation) by your county dog warden. IMPORTANT: We recommend that all pit bull owners follow our guidelines on Responsible Pit Bull Ownership to keep your dog safe!!

Ohio Laws Prior to 5/22/2012 What is a pit bull?

Ohio Revised Code states that Dog Wardens are the only authorities that can legally designate whether a dog is a pit bull-type dog. Breeds of dogs that fall under the classification of “pit bull” in Ohio include (but are not limited to): American Pit Bull Terrier

American Staffordshire Terrier

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Any other purebred or mixed breed dog whose appearance (looks or physical characteristics) are predominantly like the list of breeds above (or a combination of breeds from the above list)

What laws do Pit Bull owners need to follow?

If you own, keep, or harbor (have at your residence) a “pit bull-type dog” in the state of Ohio, the Ohio Revised Code 955.22 mandates that you must comply with ALL of the laws listed in this document. Additionally, your local municipality/city/township may have additional laws that Pit Bull owners must follow, or they may ban Pit Bulls completely. For example, in Central Ohio, Pit Bulls are banned if you live in the city limits of Bexley or Reynoldsburg, and they are subject to additional restrictions in Gahanna. To determine if your area of residence has additional pit bull laws, please contact your local code enforcement officer. How do I need to restrain my Pit Bull-type dog?

When your Pit Bull is on your property, you

posted by: Gretchen Pritchard on May 20, 2012 5:04pm Makes you wonder if the pit bull was rabid. Very dangerous situation. I’m sorry for the dog walker. It’s devastating having another dog suddenly savage your dog out of a clear blue sky. We’ve had our beagle stitched up a couple of times from such encounters and I can only imagine what it would be like to have a pit bull chew off your dog’s head before your eyes. To go from the substantive to the picky, a “bevy of bullets” is seriously bad writing, Paul. “Bevy” means a collection of living things, usually attractive ones, more or less on parade or display—things like a flock of birds, a herd of deer, a crowd of girls on a beach, a bunch of bridesmaids at a wedding. Its most usual usage is “a bevy of beauties.” Were you thinking VOLLEY of bullets, or what? Anyway, no bevies of bullets, please.

posted by: Nathan on May 20, 2012 5:50pm Where are the Colt M4 rifles that NHI reported on a year ago? That would be the weapon to use to handle this situation. The police handguns are most likely loaded with rounds designed to not over-penetrate, which might explain why it took so many shots to kill (very tough) the animal.

posted by: HhE on May 20, 2012 10:54pm Nathan, I was not there, so I can only speculate. If Patrol Rifles were in their cruisers, the Officers may have determined that going back for them would have been slower than using their side arms. (Clint Smith says, “A handgun is a weapon you use to fight your way back to your rifle that you should not have left in the first place.”) Another consideration is the risk of over penetration of the 5.56 round presents in this case, as well as the political risk of using that weapon system. (Remember the flap when a video of the NHPD effecting a hard arrest on a dangerous criminal made here on the NHI?) What this really speaks to is the myth of the one shot stop. Short of a CNS hit, any person or animal has at least five seconds of (violent action before they expire. Animals do not understand that they have been shot, while people are often conditioned from watching Hollywood to believe that once shot, they are to fall down. A dog is generally smaller and lighter than a person, so the physiological effects of terminal ballistics ought to be greater on a dog than a person.

Finally, let me say “Good work NHPD.” and express my condolences to the dog owner tragically killed today. I can only imagine the horror of seeing one’s pet torn apart like that. You have my deepest sympathy.

posted by: hdavid on May 20, 2012 11:26pm Gretchen: “a “bevy of bullets” is seriously bad writing, Paul. “Bevy” means a collection of living things, usually attractive ones, more or less on parade or display—things like a flock of birds, a herd of deer, a crowd of girls on a beach, a bunch of bridesmaids at a wedding.” So you don’t like bevy? How about a fusillade, Paul? harry

posted by: hdavid on May 20, 2012 11:29pm Salvo? Barrage? Volley? All have their flaws…. At least “a bevy of bullets” has the advantage of alliteration….(An Austrian Army awfully arrayed…. Boldly by battery besieged Belgrade…” Harry

posted by: jim on May 20, 2012 11:54pm Looks like these cops need more work at the target range 12 to 15 shots to kill one dog!!!!!!!!!!!

posted by: JMS on May 21, 2012 7:48am 12-15 shots to bring down an angry pit bull? That’s astonishing. And pit bull owners wonder why people have a problem with keeping these animals as pets. For the record I am a pet owner and have no grudge against any animal but pit bulls are simply unfit pets. And to be fair there is an assumed risk with owning ANY animal that it could get agitated and lash out. But unlike most every other animal in the case of pit bull attacks the results are almost always catastrophic for the victim and of course also the pit bull. I can’t understand why anyone would want to own an animal with this much potential to cause harm.

posted by: THREEFIFTHS on May 21, 2012 8:29am Another law that needs to be pass is that all dogs must have a Microchip implant so you can find out who the owner is.

posted by: Cove Mom on May 21, 2012 8:59am So sad, and my heart goes out to the woman whose dog was mauled. I am so grateful she was not injured in this mess. Although the cops seemed to use an excessive amount of bullets to kill the pit bull, I do believe that killing the dog was the only option. (I have three dogs, including one pit and one pit mix. If any of my dogs ever tore at another dog like this, I’d put her down without hesitation.) Unfortunately, this incident also perpetuates the negative stereotype of pit bulls. Blame the deed, not the breed. Like Gretchen, I do question whether the dog was rabid. Most likely it wasn’t, though. It was more than likely another tragic result of abuse and/or neglect suffered by this breed at the hands of criminal owners. Tragic as it is, thank God the victim wasn’t a child.

posted by: Curious on May 21, 2012 9:54am With all the money we spend on police, does New Haven not have an animal control officer? Why wasn’t animal control called ASAP when this dog was sighted by police? One tranq in the neck and it’s game over? This is a horrible tragedy, and I really feel for that poor woman and her dog. The fact that it needed multiple cops to fire a dozen bullets into this dog to bring it down is grotesque. What is wrong with this city?

posted by: cnr146 on May 21, 2012 10:11am Gretchen, you grammar pedants should check your facts before judging others. “Bevy” does not necessarily refer only to living things, though that may be how it is often used. Every dictionary I’ve checked allows it for groups of any kind of thing, living or otherwise. Don’t be so quick to be critical.

posted by: robn on May 21, 2012 10:26am Sad. My heart hopes out to the owner and the officers. I hope that somebody in the neighborhood can tie this pit bull to the owner and report it. Just not cool.

posted by: PH on May 21, 2012 11:00am Would you title this article “Golden Retriever Attack Draws Crowd” or “Husky Attack Draws Crowd” if it had been a different breed of dog involved in the attack? While pit bulls are sometimes (sadly) trained to bring out their most aggressive instincts, they are not an inherently dangerous or aggressive breed. Your headline may be accurate, but I hope you didn’t choose it to propagate negative connotations of entire breed of dog. I suppose we will find out the next time a non-pit bull attacks (this will likely occur within the next week).

posted by: Smd3693 on May 21, 2012 11:28am How about this happened in a city that is known to have backyard breeders - who inbreed these dogs to make a quick buck or are breeding them and training them to be violent dog fighters. What are authorities doing to stop that?? Until that is stopped - attacks like this will never end. I am tired of the breed getting a bad rap - it is the people who are responsible for them that need to be stopped. I am a responsible pit bull owner, and if trained right these dogs are the most loyal and loving companions.

posted by: Miss E on May 21, 2012 11:38am It is my belief that ALL dogs should be muzzled when out in public. Not just for this reason, but because that could have been a small child instead of a small dog. Most people will say ‘my dog isn’t vicious’, but the bottom line is…it’s an animal and its going to do what animals do.

posted by: toskii on May 21, 2012 11:39am Breed-specific legislation is bad policy: http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/breed-specific-legislation.aspx

posted by: anonymous on May 21, 2012 11:45am Next time, it will be a dead 2 year old child. We wonder why parents won’t let their kids out, and then we wonder why the kids are obese and destined to die 30 years earlier than typical suburban residents due to diabetes. The public schools know the reasons why kids are afraid to walk in their neighborhoods - dogs are at the top of the list. Clearly, dogs like this should be banned, regulated, and/or heavily fined, as they have been in other cities.

posted by: Curious on May 21, 2012 12:38pm I want to say this as well: maybe the NHPD needs to spend more time at the range. Ten to 15 shots is absurd. They couldn’t just shoot it in the head?

posted by: HhE on May 21, 2012 1:08pm It seams emblematic of our city’s problems to me that this article has become about second guessing Police Officers and literary criticism. Curious, let me quote Officer Hartman’s press release, “NHPD Animal Control Officers responded, and removed the dogs.” Please help me understand why the use of multiple rounds is grotesque. I think one will find the crux of this issue is timing.

posted by: Smd3693 on May 21, 2012 1:41pm @ anonymous post on May 21, 2012 11:45am Should we ban McDonald’s because some parents feed their children unhealthy food constantly and therefore the children become obese? It’s not McDonald’s fault it’s the PARENTS fault… That being said, it’s not the breen of “pit bulls” - it’s the irresponsible OWNERS. Do some research - see how pit bull temperaments actually compare to other dog breeds - it might actually surprise you. http://www.examiner.com/article/pit-bulls-score-better-on-temperament-tests-than-the-general-dog-population http://einhorninsurance.com/california-insurance/pit-bulls-pass-atts-temperament-test/

posted by: Curious on May 21, 2012 1:57pm ***About an hour and a half earlier, Officer Fitzgerald had seen the pit bull, on the loose and acting wild, on Whalley Avenue. At the time it had eluded her.*** Why didn’t Fitzgerald call Animal Control 90 minutes before there was an incident? Why did she chase it herself, then leave and not call it into Animal Control when she couldn’t handle it? HhE, I commented on the article as-written. What press release are you talking about? There aren’t even any releases up on the NHPD website: http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/Police/Press/PressRoom.asp

posted by: THREEFIFTHS on May 21, 2012 3:21pm posted by: toskii on May 21, 2012 11:39am Breed-specific legislation is bad policy: http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/breed-specific-legislation.aspx If this is the case,Then how come the United States is banning the import of Burmese pythons and three other species of giant constrictor snakes due to the danger they pose to local wildlife.



http://www.voanews.com/content/us-bans-snakes-plaguing-florida-everglades-137524748/169708.html Also are you saying that the owners should not also have to pay for a insurance bond.Do you not remember the The Diane Whipple Case. http://dianewhipplecase.blogspot.com/ And the dogs that killed her will kill a pitbull.Here is the dog that killed her.In fact it was tow of these dogs that attacked her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRsvp7O_440&feature=related

Like I said ban them. The 25 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds in the World. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u842Fn8xCAg

posted by: WestvilleAdvocate on May 21, 2012 4:07pm This is a terrible tragedy. My dog was attacked by an off-lease dog in the Westville neighborhood this past year. Thankfully the owner was nearby. I was shaken though and disturbed because Edgewood Park is full of off-leash dogs. This city needs to fund its animal control. We have one of the best shelters in the city with funding that is sub-par and officers that are overworked for a city of our size. I feel so terrible for this lady and all that had to witness the awful scene. Random things like this, unfortunately, occur but our city does NOTHING to even try to prevent these kinds of acts. I’ve seen police sitting in their cruisers as people stroll by with their dogs off leash. It is against the city law, ticket them! How about actually patrolling our parks and handing out tickets. I feel more and more than this city is becoming the wild west. In this case, a properly funded animal control could greatly curb things like this from happening in the future. Outright bans on breeds is useless ignorance. If you ban a pit bull the underground fight clubs will go to the next breed and train them to be aggressive.

posted by: Jacques Strap on May 21, 2012 4:55pm @anonymous—Instead of comparing the city to the suburbs, you ought to be questioning why some in the city aren’t better behaved or more responsible. Where was the dog’s owner? Why was the dog walking unleashed? Why aren’t parents taking advantage of all the free parks and playgrounds in the city? Why are bullets flying in broad daylight? Where is the accountability? Stop making excuses, anonymous. How many FREE parks and playgrounds does New Haven have? Also, I suggest you check out the NHPS’ menu, which has been acclaimed for its healthy targets. Once again, the schools doing the jobs of the parents.

posted by: anonymous on May 21, 2012 5:00pm Westville, any evidence that the public bans can’t just keep up with the “breeders”? If you can’t ban, then ticket and regulate, before another 2 year old kid becomes some dog’s lunch.

posted by: THREEFIFTHS on May 21, 2012 5:03pm posted by: WestvilleAdvocate on May 21, 2012 4:07pm In this case, a properly funded animal control could greatly curb things like this from happening in the future. Outright bans on breeds is useless ignorance. If you ban a pit bull the underground fight clubs will go to the next breed and train them to be aggressive Most people with these pit bulls and other Dangerous Dog Breeds have no type of insurance.Remember there was not owner with this pit bull.And by the way as far as underground fight clubs Dog Fighting Now is a Felony in All 50 States. Ban them!!!!!

posted by: anonymous on May 21, 2012 5:59pm JacquesStrap, good luck with blaming parents as your strategy for making progress on issues like those, which are becoming so incredibly costly that they are now easily the greatest threat to our nation’s security. I’m sure that your strategy will work really well.

posted by: HhE on May 21, 2012 8:08pm Curious, I get the daily media briefing from Officer D. Hartman

20 May, 2012 - OFFICERS SHOOT ATTACKING PIT BULL At about 10:30 AM, Officers, who’d been attending to an unrelated complaint on Chapel Street, were alerted to an attacking Pit Bull just down the street at Sherman Avenue. They arrived to find the vicious dog attacking an older dog which was being walked by an elderly woman. The Pitt Bull had the woman’s dog by the face and the attack was frenzied. Officers, with the assistance of some in a growing crowd of onlookers, were able to move the crowd back to a safe distance, at which point they fired several shots from their service weapons, ultimately killing the Pitt Bull. Unfortunately, the victim dog had already been killed during the attack. NHPD Animal Control Officers responded, and removed the dogs.

posted by: robn on May 21, 2012 9:13pm The breed isn’t the problem. The owners are. Track attack statistics parallel to the number of @$$#0!:$ who train pit bulls to be violent and the attack statistics become statistically irrelevant. The same misconception was made in the part with German Shepherds, Rottweilers Dobermans, etc etc. All good breeds that aren’t problematic unless their owners are irresponsible, stupid, crazy or all of the above. Ban human stupidity and we won’t have a problem.

posted by: Miss E on May 22, 2012 8:40am Again.. There needs to be a muzzle ordinance for ALL dogs. Any and every animal has the propensity to become vicious, that is why they are ANIMALS. If every owner were mandated to muzzle their dog when in public, there would be a great sense of safety and security for both people and other animals.. Things don’t have to be so hard to find solutions to,

posted by: Curious on May 22, 2012 9:42am HhE, that’s great. It doesn’t change the fact that the police knew the dog was loose and wild 90 minutes before the attack. It also shows that all animal control did was show up after the cops blasted the dog, to clean up the corpses. Animal Control is supposed to be a resource that deals with animal threats, not cleans up after the usual cops play target practice. So do we have real Animal Control officers in New Haven that are trained to deal with these events, or not?

posted by: Smd3693 on May 22, 2012 10:47am Can someone explain to me how a muzzle would have prevented this from happening? A non-existent owner muzzle a stray dog? hmmm… AND in cases like this, I’d much rather my dog that is on it’s leash like it should be - have the ability to be able to defend itself if some random dog came running up - not be defenseless by a muzzle… Most of these attacks aren’t when the pit is on a leash with it’s owner… Just sayin.

posted by: William Kurtz Agreed, 12-15 bullets is a tremendous waste of resources. This type of socialism is ruining America; clearly, shooting savage dogs in the street is best left to the private-sector marksmen and gun experts. Please, NHPD, take the right lesson from this failure. Put some of these armchair experts on speed dial so the next time, they can get to the scene, decide whether a handgun or rifle is the best tool, carefully load the ammunition that will penetrate just the right amount and then hit a quickly-moving target about the size of a grapefruit from a safe distance with one shot.

posted by: Nathan on May 22, 2012 8:48pm William Kurtz takes a shot - and misses the target completely. You need more time on the range practicing, Mr. Kurtz. You see, it’s been a while, but I have experience with both types of weapons involved in the discussion. Neither was the type I used for competitions, but none the less I have more than a passing knowledge of the equipment. Perhaps you misunderstood my comment for criticism. It was not - I support the police whenever appropriate have nothing critical to write in this case. My comment was an inquiry about a deployed weapon that might (or might not) have been more effective in the situation. And, if it (the M-4 carbine) was fitted with modern optics and a laser pointer, it would address your concerns about the challenging target even better. I would prefer that the police have the best equipment and (constant) training possible when it comes to the question of deadly force.

posted by: Miss E on May 23, 2012 7:42am I have to agree somewhat, with the comment about muzzles not being a complete solution to the problem, however, it would HELP with some of the incidents that could happen in the future. The real bottom line is that PEOPLE have to be responsible for their ANIMALS. My brother breeds pit bulls in SC and I have spent a great deal of time around them. It is all in how you raise and train a pit bull that determines its personality.