police officer fires weapon

[leeggen]

Mountain City Tn. police officer releived of duty after firing his weapon at a squeirel in a store, also released mace in order to scare animal from store------ oh yeah all while customers were in store. Oh what was he releived from duty for-------- refusing to fill out the paper work required when you fire your service weapon. NOT BECAUSE HE ENDANGERED EVERYONE IN THE STORE!!!!! See dumb stuff happens here just like many other places mainly envolving police. By the way he missed the squeirel.
CD

[starmac]

I bet he got the shoppers attention. lol Is there a link to the rest of the story??

[nvbirdman]

Would this be a good time to say "Only the police and the military should have guns because they have been trained in how to use them."?

[Norbrat]

I bet he got the shoppers attention. lol Is there a link to the rest of the story??

Google is your friend http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/2013/10/17/tennessee-officer-fired-shooting-pepper-spray-squirrel/3003927/

[starmac]

Thanks norbrat. I really figured he was called because the squirrel was in the store, and was just mad because his donut break was cut short. lol
It seems the idiot just happened to be in the store.. SCARY.

[sav300]

ok,where is the Turtle man when you need him?

[unclogum bill]

If I were he, would have walked back to my cruiser and had dispatch notify fish and game. That's their area. He demonstrated lack of common sense , that's not the guy you want to pay to protect people. The term "dumber than a sack of hammers crosses my mind".

[novalty]

Says in the linked article he was merely fired because he failed to fill out a report--which is required when you discharge your firearm. :shock:

[Smoke4320]

If I were he, would have walked back to my cruiser and had dispatch notify fish and game. That's their area. He demonstrated lack of common sense , that's not the guy you want to pay to protect people. The term "dumber than a sack of hammers crosses my mind".
At least hammers can hit a nail.. he could not hit a squirrel

[starmac]

LOL It is likely he knew he would be fired when he filled out that particular report anyway, probably decided why bother, Besides it looks better to be fired for incomplete paperwork, than indoor squirrel hunting when he applies for his next leo job.

I'm not sure why fish and game would need to be called in, it seems to me that the squirrel would be the storekeepers problem to deal with.

[azrednek]

About 1960 I witnessed a car-horse collision. After the Phoenix PD showed the officer asked several people if they had a gun to put the horse out of his misery. Finally a near-by resident went home got his 22 rifle and dispatched the horse with 2 head shots. The cops apologized to the crowd saying if they discharged their service weapon they would have to spend hours filling out paperwork.

[unclogum bill]

LOL It is likely he knew he would be fired when he filled out that particular report anyway, probably decided why bother, Besides it looks better to be fired for incomplete paperwork, than indoor squirrel hunting when he applies for his next leo job.

I'm not sure why fish and game would need to be called in, it seems to me that the squirrel would be the storekeepers problem to deal with.
Easy question of the day. If that squirrel bit someone, caused something , no one could say he didn't do anything. Dispatch report would show action taken (which would be correct if it was a wild critter, pet,( animal control). This guy would still have a job using common sense.

[starmac]

I hit a horse in 77. It mangled it pretty bad, it didn't need a brainsurgeon to tell there was no hope for ot. It was not daylight yet, so I had to stand out in the rain and direct Houston suburb traffic around it, which was dicey in itself. When the leo got there I ask them to put it out of it's misery, but they couldn't until a veternarian had looked at it, which took another couple of hours to get one there. Finally the only cop still there was going to shoot it with his service pistol. He pointed it between the eyes Then closed his eyes and turned his head before pulling the trigger, all he did was hurt the poor horse and get him all exited again. I was pretty hot at that, and told him to let me do it if he couldn't, but he said he couldn't and at least looked where he was shooting for the second round.

[leeggen]

Novalty, that was my thought, he really should have charges brought against him for endangerment. All they had to do was open a door and the sq. would probably leave on his own or with a little broom encouragement. Hey if ms Clinton can not be charged cause she stepped down why not an officer of the law, both took an oath.
CD

[308w]

Was his name Officer Tackleberry???!!!

[azrednek]

Easy question of the day. If that squirrel bit someone, caused something , no one could say he didn't do anything. Dispatch report would show action taken (which would be correct if it was a wild critter, pet,( animal control). This guy would still have a job using common sense.

Doesn't sound to me as though the cop had any common sense. Gun no. "Mace" which was likely mis-reported. More likely pepper spray as cops haven't used real Mace for years.

If the squirrel had bitten somebody use of his pistol would be justified. Pepper spray to help shoo an animal away might be appropriate but not inside a building. Ask any postal carrier about reversing a dog's direction with pepper spray. Speaking of my own experiences, it is very effective on dogs, cats and one time on a Coyote. Inside a building though is just plain stupid.

A now retired Phoenix cop I know personally was once called to assist unarmed G&F and Rabies Control (dog pound) officers catch a suspected rabid Raccoon under a mobile home. He was given the green light to shoot it if necessary to avoid letting it escape. The Raccoon had bitten a child and needed to be checked for Rabies. By the time he arrived the dog catcher had it in a snare.

There may be more to the incident that is not in the article.

[cheese1566]

Doesn't sound to me as though the cop had any common sense. Gun no. "Mace" which was likely mis-reported. More likely pepper spray as cops haven't used real Mace for years.

If the squirrel had bitten somebody use of his pistol would be justified. Pepper spray to help shoo an animal away might be appropriate but not inside a building. Ask any postal carrier about reversing a dog's direction with pepper spray. Speaking of my own experiences, it is very effective on dogs, cats and one time on a Coyote. Inside a building though is just plain stupid.

A now retired Phoenix cop I know personally was once called to assist unarmed G&F and Rabies Control (dog pound) officers catch a suspected rabid Raccoon under a mobile home. He was given the green light to shoot it if necessary to avoid letting it escape. The Raccoon had bitten a child and needed to be checked for Rabies. By the time he arrived the dog catcher had it in a snare.

There may be more to the incident that is not in the article.

Thanks for the adding this! Seems like us good LE are getting a bad rap lately becuase of these morons.
Please don't judge the entire barrel based on one bad pickle!

[Artful]

It's seldom you hear about the good apples - just the bad ones make the news - but oh the damage they can cause before they are out of the barrel.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/richard-chrisman-verdict-jury-finds-ex-officer-guilty-of-aggravated-assault

[William Yanda]

"dumber than a sack of hammers crosses my mind".

box of rocks seems more appropriate.

Was this officer someone who wasn't fitting in, and they were looking for an excuse to let him go?

[TXGunNut]

I had to shoot a dog on duty once, I could tell it's spine was broken just ahead of the hips. It was alert but in considerable pain, animal control was on call and response time (late night) would have been at least an hour. I'll do the paperwork.
As for the indoor squirrel hunting I'm sure a broom would have been my weapon of choice, shouldn't be hard to find one in a general store.

[TXGunNut]

I had to shoot a dog on duty once, I could tell it's spine was broken just ahead of the hips. It was alert but in considerable pain, animal control was on call and response time (late night) would have been at least an hour. I'll do the paperwork.
As for the indoor squirrel hunting I'm sure a broom would have been my weapon of choice, shouldn't be hard to find one in a general store.

[buckwheatpaul]

"Clean up on aisle 4!"

[contender1]

Ok, I'm a State certified Animal Damage Control Agent. I also know that Tn has a similar program. That LEO should NOT have discharged his firearm, nor should he have used pepper spray. A call to the game commission, (or more likely to his local county dispatch) would have gotten a professional in there to deal with the squirrel. We have methods that are effective & NOT harmful to others.
As for him being fired,, well, the paperwork reason may have been an excuse,,, to avoid lawsuits etc.
Stupid guy doesn't need to be a cop.

[Bzcraig]

This guy definitely wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer with bad judgement to boot.

[leeggen]

Yes there are great leo's out there that we never hear about. It is just people think hunters are dangerous, don't know of many that can beat the last couple of law dogs in the news in Tn. Slowly we turn and step by step we see---- those that are to protect becoming more dangerous.
CD

[capt.hollis]

I hit a horse in 77. It mangled it pretty bad, it didn't need a brainsurgeon to tell there was no hope for ot. It was not daylight yet, so I had to stand out in the rain and direct Houston suburb traffic around it, which was dicey in itself. When the leo got there I ask them to put it out of it's misery, but they couldn't until a veternarian had looked at it, which took another couple of hours to get one there. Finally the only cop still there was going to shoot it with his service pistol. He pointed it between the eyes Then closed his eyes and turned his head before pulling the trigger, all he did was hurt the poor horse and get him all exited again. I was pretty hot at that, and told him to let me do it if he couldn't, but he said he couldn't and at least looked where he was shooting for the second round.i had the exact same thing happen to me, except the cop handed me the gun, and let me finish the animal off. He seriously could not shoot the horse, but at least he let me do it, and jeopardized his job, but I promised to never mention his name, and never did. That was 15 yrs ago, never seen the cop again. I could had used it as a bargaining tool on my next ticket Darnet lol. Nah, couldn't had done that to him. Lol.

[azrednek]

Guess it is unfortunate that many cops are judged by the bad one. I could tell several horror stories of being mis-treated, being roughly arrested in a case of mistaken identity two times in my life. One incident of plain stupidity. I was cuffed and put into the back of a police car by a rookie female officer without being frisked. I had a revolver in my pocket!! Fortunately her partner had a brain and I was on my way in a few minutes.

There was a time however when I once needed a cop or better said, thought I needed a cop. I don't mind with the anonymity of the net saying I was scared shootless. The bad guy was long gone by the time police arrived but I was never so glad to see a cop in my life. I always keep in mind despite some bad experiences. If I dial 911 knowing an armed good-guy is on the way.

[FISH4BUGS]

Same thing happened to me in far western MA on Route 2 some 20 years ago. A doe had been hit by a semi truck (I doubt he even knew he hit her) and she aborted a fawn then and there. There was no hope for her (rear end pretty mangled and couldn't walk) and I put her down with my 357 just as a State Trooper rolled up. With his hand on his weapon, after checking my license to carry and having me secure my weapon, he thanked me for putting the deer down, for he said he would have had to do 2 hours of paperwork if he shot her with his service weapon.


About 1960 I witnessed a car-horse collision. After the Phoenix PD showed the officer asked several people if they had a gun to put the horse out of his misery. Finally a near-by resident went home got his 22 rifle and dispatched the horse with 2 head shots. The cops apologized to the crowd saying if they discharged their service weapon they would have to spend hours filling out paperwork.

[10x]

I had to shoot a dog on duty once, I could tell it's spine was broken just ahead of the hips. It was alert but in considerable pain, animal control was on call and response time (late night) would have been at least an hour. I'll do the paperwork.
As for the indoor squirrel hunting I'm sure a broom would have been my weapon of choice, shouldn't be hard to find one in a general store.

A squirrel is no big deal. Automatic doors let in other stuff
http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=acde84ee-b42f-447d-be17-6c56567a2114

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=94ce70a0-3f5b-4e7e-9517-e39a95e709b4

I know a farmer who had a bear who would habitually break into an oat bin. The farmer would go out every 2-3 days and nail the boards back over the door. One day he returned to the bin and discovered that the bear had broken out as he had nailed the boards on while the bear was in the bin.
I can't remember if he shot the bear or not...

[Danderdude]

I'm a 911 dispatcher in my day job (and working every day until next year) and in the one city of the four in the county without 24/7 animal control units, the officers use their backup guns on wildlife that gets hung up in barbed wire and wrought iron fences, yes, to avoid the paperwork of using their issued service sidearm. They have to supply their own ankle gun.

Subcompact .380's are just as good as full size .40's from 0-3 inches.

[Taylor]

I guess this guy was just a moron,like the cop who shot up a house on Tiny Town road here,never any follow up.Are these idiots able to read and write,do they have the ability for a thought process?

[jsizemore]

Ain't squirrels why they carry a shotgun?

[DoubleAdobe]

Many years ago, I was a brand inspector in a mountain region in Arizona. In the summer, there were quite a few cattle hit and injured, most that were reported were mortally injured. These were mostly state highways so state police caught the first call. Some horses but mostly cattle and as some have said, the officers had very restrictive rules if they busted a round to dispatch the hopelessly injured animal. Also, while a lot of you know what is survivable and what is not when it comes to animals, oddly enough, a lot of officers do not. He or she may have been raised in an urban area and just recently started working here. A steep learning curve I guess. Anyway, my job was to dispatch the animal and to identify it as to ownership and tie all the information together report wise, because of open range laws. Open range laws, except basically for municipalities and a few other specific areas in Arizona and most other western states means if you hit it, you bought it, or usually your insurance company.

[oldred]

Coincidentally I'm also located in TN and I know a county LEO that should be barred from owning a gun never mind being a law officer! I have known this guy since he was 8 years old and I know how he is, he is one of those guys who lives in a fantasy world and pictures himself to be a real tough guy that basically has a serious ego problem. Not only is he careless with firearms and actually even shot himself in the knee while trying to spin a loaded pistol but he has a bully type attitude, I have had no personal problems with this guy and my son was once a childhood friend but I know him well and he's definitely a danger to the community. IMO a bullying police officer with an inflated ego is worse than some criminals they are supposed to be protecting the public from but unfortunately there's a lot of them out there and they do indeed reflect badly on the honest hard working LEOs that we rarely hear about, overall the law enforcement community does not get the respect they deserve and it's because of an egotistical minority.

[OBIII]

To the good LEO's...Thanks for your service. Unfortunately, as has been stated before, the bad ones get the press. It does seem, however, that there are more and more reports of bad ones. Maybe it's a generation thing or something.
OB

[fatelk]

Was his name Officer Tackleberry???!!!

Couldn't have been; Tackleberry wouldn't miss! :)

A good friend of mine recently went through the academy to become a county deputy, and his nickname there was "Tackleberry". I'm sure it's easy to figure why.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Unfortunatly, Mtn. City, TN is one fo the those small mountain towns with bad meth/pill problems. I went to college 30 minutes from there, and I never met anyone from Mtn City with a lick of sense. If they had any they had probably already left. Sad but true, sorry if anyone is from Mtn. City, TN...