Cops Shoot and Kill Pit Bull, Graze Themselves

2006_07_pitbull.jpgEarly Sunday morning, a couple policemen were injured while responding to a landlord-tenant dispute at a Bronx apartment building. And, no, the injuries weren't caused by the landlord or tenant - they were NYPD-inflicted. To top things off, they killed a pit bull as well. A sergeant, a lieutenant and three rookies were pursuing a pot-smoking teen, Lenin Acevedo, who kicked in the door of another apartment. That's when pit bull named either "Cookie" or "Red" came bounding out, biting one of the officers. So two other officers tried shooting the dog, and somehow 26 bullets were unloaded into the hallway and the dog. The family who owned the dog said that there were seven children in the apartment during shoot-out and added that the police didn't even apologize for killing the dog. Man. The police are classifying this as a friendly fire incident that's within department regulations and will reenact the incident, but, really, 26 bullets for one pit bull?

Oh, and Acevedo later turned himself in.

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26 shots! These cops need to go back to the shooting range for some practice for their own sakes. Also I see NO reason for apologizing for the dog, especially these vicious pitbulls who are only bred as killing machines. The dog owner should be arrested for interfering on police matters.

I hope those morons at PETA don't get all pissy over this.

youre the moron. why are they kicking in doors, the wrong doors, all for a kid smoking pot? why are they shooting 26 bullets?

"bred as killing machines"? Are you out of your freaking mind? They are bred, as other dogs to be, well, dogs. They are trained by some to be vicious and nasty and "killing machines" but I know a lot of pit owners who have the friendliest dogs around. Let's try not to be so ignorant, ok?

26 bullets is a little much for one dog though. And no, I don't think an apology is necessary. And they say smoking pot is a victimless crime...

This is why I will not join the NYPD out of the academy. They hire morons who are undereducated. They dont like what they do they could care-less about the ppl they are to "help" they only take this job so they can screw the system or have nothing else to do. you dont kick in doors for a kid smoking pot- seems to me like these cops have little penis big head syndrome - In my opinion the family should sue the NYPD

oh, i got the story wrong.. but 'dude' is still an idiot.

Obviously the NYPD was using excessive force here, but on another note; how funny is it that the kid is named Lenin.

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I had fries (or is it 'my brain is fried'), I am an idiot for stating my opinion! I agree the cops were excessive and they need additional training badly, but the dog could have ripped their nuts off if it got a lucky bite. I don't care how "gentle" or "well behaved" it was prior to this incident, but dogs don't get a second chance nor the benefit of a doubt in situations like this, which is the way it should be. The owners bear the full responsibility of keeping their dogs under control.

Also don't you see a trend that the majority of these dog attack cases involve either pit bulls or rottweilers! Maybe because they seem to be favored by the drug dealers and gang bangers who bred them for intimidation and attacks. The owner in this case should blame the pothead for running into their home and started all this mess.

My dog had better attack anyone that breaks my door down or what good would he be?

Are you that stupid, Dude?

That's one of the most common reasons people have dogs . . . to protect them and their residence. Most dogs would have done the same.

The breed has nothing to do with this matter.

Dumbass.

Can anyone here actually read?

The cops didn't kick in any doors. The pot-smoking kid did as he was fleeing the police.

As the kid kicked in the door, a snarling dog comes bolting out and proceeds to attack one of the cops >out in the hallway

Then why didn't it attack the pothead who ran into the apartment in nthe first place, or was the dog trained to attack only "pigs".

It's no use arguing with the righteous "doglovers" here, and I stand by my opinion that pit bulls and Rottweilers are dangerous breeds that people choose at their own risk.

Dumbasses!

The dog was protecting its territory and family from intruders. The dog doesn't know that the people breaking down the doors are cops and it's not like the dog was just on the street attacking. Poor pup. Dogs are wonderful protectors and can sense when someone is trying to harm their family; my parents have two sweet pit bulls, and one bit the guy who stole my parents car.

Do they let cops carry guns? I'd be careful about giving these guys a sharp pencil. They'll only hurt themselves and anyone near by.

Maybe the rookies only got as far as "running with scissors" training.

from the news article:
"'They killed my dog and didn't say they were sorry,' the boy said, adding that authorities seized a puppy from the apartment."

Seizing the puppy falls into adding insult to injury, right?

I had a pit bull, he was a wonderful dog. Dude doesn't know that often when someone is bit or attacked by a dog, it's reported as a pit bull attack because nobody knows what breed the dog is. So they just go with pit bull. Dumbasses.

#12, if we were to give them pencils, they would probably hold them Navy Seal style.

Oh, gadzooks. Not only can't people read the Gothamist writeups here, they can't read the comments, either. Hey, Smitty, I'll type slowly for you. The police didn't kick in the door. The pot-smoking kid did. The Daily News wrote that, Jen wrote that and Michael wrote that. Just how many times do you need to be told? That's what happens when commenters here are so gleefully ready to blame the police for everything. Does NYPD do a lot of things wrong? Hell yeah. But if you can't read the stories before shooting your mouth (or fingers) off, then you have no credibility whatsoever. And all you people trying to crack wise about why did they need 26 shots need to consider that the dog is a small, moving target in very close proximity to another cop, whom you're trying to avoid shooting. How many would you have needed, wiseguys?

I only would've needed one. I play Buck Hunter, and I'm pretty damn good at it.

Dude,

You're so ignorant! People like you are a disgraced. You are the kind of people that should be shot 26 times or more.

#18 - Let me ask what exactly are you and a couple of other commenters on this board say I am ignorant of? I like dogs but I don't own one, and I still believe some dogs are more dangerous than others. Maybe it's a combination of breeding, training, genetics, I don't know, but I don't remember hearing pugs getting shot by the police.

You doglovers get so rile up when anyone has a somewhat negative opinion on a certian type of dogs that you just know to scream and berate. If I am ignorant then "enlighten" me with your facts instead of resorting to childish name calling.

# 17: although i like pitbulls and am always bummed when a doggie dies, your comment made me giggle.

Brightliner, it doesn't really matter who broke down the door, the point is that the dog saw the cops as intruders; I imagine that the family was probably screaming and terrified (7 kids) so the dog reacted.

Nice backpedaling. Why don't you just admit you couldn't be bothered to read anything other than "Door broken down, dog bites cops, cops fired 26 shots"?

We get it, we get it. You loved your pitbulls. But amazingly even animal behaviorists say NO dog can be trusted 100%. Keep spreading your little anecdotes as much as you want, but it doesn't outweigh the science.

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enlighten us with your neverending 'science' brightliner. (lapdogs aside) dogs guard their owners and territory against intruders. that's exactly what happened here.

dug: since when is the hallway outside its owner's door considered a dog's territory?

since when is someone in the hallway outside of your apartment considered an intruder?

the intruder in this story was ignored by the dog.. it was people outside who were attacked by an obviously out-of-control animal...

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both the pot-smoker and the incompetent cops chasing him were intruders as the dog rightfully sensed. basic guarding is not 'out of control' behavior. however, a guy breaking down doors and 2 cops firing 26 shots at each other IS pretty out of control.

Dog owners say that after each and every single dog attack, even fatal ones. "Oh, it was just protecting its territory." Or "It must have been provoked." All this even if eyewitnesses say the victims did absolutely nothing except be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It is amazing that the NYPD has officers like this. 26 shots, in a building, for a dog? I"m glad they shot themselves up. These guys need to go hunting so they realize that one carefully aimed (or poorly aimed) piece of lead kills. I'm sure that 98% of cops have never killed something with a gun, and that is a problem. Until you point a gun at a living animal, pull the trigger, watch it collapse and spend some time thinking about what you just did, you don't have a clue.

Hunters don't shoot fast, small animals in close quarters that have grabbed fellow hunters. They shoot from a safe distance at big animals which aren't charging them. It's not a life and death situation for hunters.

If the dog was under control, then the family should be charged with obstruction of justice and assault on a police officer. The dog may not know the difference between cop and crook, but the family should have known and called him off. It obviously wasn't under control, which is why it was killed.

26 shots from 4 police officers could have happened in a fraction of second. I believe the majority of New York cops are armed with Glock 19s. The Glock Model 19 is chambered in 9x19mm, one of the weaker centerfire handgun rounds with little recoil compared the larger handgun calibers. This lack of recoil combined with the recoil absorbtion of the Glock's polymer grip allows officer to remain on target better and carry more ammo, but the price they pay is in the reduced power of their ammunition.

Contrary to the mythology perpetrated by Hollywood, the 9mm rarely drops anything in one shot. 4 cops could have fired off 26 rounds in less than half a second. You want the cops to shoot less at a pitbull attacking them? Give them weapons with decent stopping power.

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thats a good dog if it bit someone for kicking in the door. maybe he was protecting the kids and its owner.

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