OPP deliberately runs over and kills a dog in Collingwood

Police brutality is the wanton use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer. Widespread police brutality exists in many countries, even those that prosecute it. It is one of several forms of police misconduct, which include: false arrest, intimidation, racial profiling, political repression, surveillance abuse, sexual abuse and police corruption.

OPP deliberately runs over and kills a dog in Collingwood

Postby Thomas » Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:22 pm

Video shows OPP cruiser running over coyote three times before driver shoots animal on Collingwood street

OPP Central Region has confirmed they are investigating an incident in Collingwood involving a police officer (or officers) being shown in a video running over a coyote three times before shooting it.

The video shared on Facebook by a Collingwood resident shows an OPP cruiser running over a coyote three times then the driver shoots the animal on the street.

“I was disgusted by it,” said Sarah Legget, who shared the video on Facebook. The footage was shot by her neighbour.

Leggett said the coyote was wandering in her Seventh Street neighbourhood at about 10:30 p.m., on Monday evening.

“It was just wandering the area,” she said. “The coyote was out front of my neighbours house at the door and she called the police and they came and that’s how they dealt with the situation.”

Leggett said the coyote wasn’t vicious with any animals in the neighbourhood.

“We have animals in the neighbourhood but we keep our animals in at night,” she said.

Leggett posted the video to her Facebook page and it has been shared hundreds of times.

“I posted [it] because I wanted people to see that this isn’t correct,” she said.

Collingwood OPP did respond to the video saying the animal was "aggressive" and "rabid."

“Due to the danger this animal posed to both people and other animals and for the safety of the community Police had to put down this animal,” said OPP spokesperson Const. Mark Kinney.
Kinney said he couldn’t comment on why the officer ran over the animal three times before shooting it.

“I have no idea with regards to how that rolled out,” he said. “I don’t think there is one officer out there that wants to have to end an animal’s existence. This is the best explanation we can put out with regards to what transpired that night.”

He said the reason it was done was to ensure the safety of the community. In the release he advised residents to keep an their pets and "if you do see animals in distress, do not approach them but instead call your local animal control agency for assistance."

“Whether there is an animal, either domesticated or non-domesticated, that poses a threat to both people and the community or to other domesticated animals, we have to react to that,” he said.

Acting Sgt. Lynda Cranney of Central Region OPP confirmed investigators will be speaking with the officers involved in the response to the call about a coyote.

"We are presently looking into the circumstances around the situation," she said. "More information will be provided as it comes."

She said the OPP is committed to the "humane destruction" of animals when necessary.

Asked whether the OPP have ever hit an animal on purpose in a cruiser, she said, "I can't speak to that."

As for standard protocol for dealing with a call about a wild animal, Cranney said "every incident is investigated as an individual incident."

Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), said the ministry has been made aware of the video by simcoe.com and is looking into it.

Here's the video showing the coyote's death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5PgkUR2lR4

http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/596898 ... ingwood-s/

http://www.cp24.com/news/residents-upse ... -1.2619301

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canad ... -a-cruiser
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Video shows coyote run over, shot dead by OPP

Postby Thomas » Wed Oct 21, 2015 3:24 am

A resident of Collingwood, Ont., is calling an Ontario Provincial Police officer's killing of a coyote on her street "horrible."
Sarah Leggett posted videos on her Facebook page that appear to show a police cruiser running over an animal on the street.

"Oh my God, he just ran the coyote over," one woman is heard saying as the incident was being filmed. "I can't believe the cop hit it with his car. Why would you do that?"

The OPP says officers responding to a report of an aggressive coyote on Monday night killed the animal in the interest of public safety.

In a statement, police said they responded to a report that the animal, which was spotted on Seventh Street in the Town of Collingwood, was "aggressive and possibly rabid."

"Due to the danger this animal posed to both people and other animals and for the safety of the community, police had to put down this animal," the OPP said.

Struck three times

Commentary on the videos on Facebook indicates the animal was struck by the car three times before a shot was heard.

Leggett said in a post that she "couldn't believe" what she saw.

Many took to Twitter to express their outrage at what they saw on the video.

The alleged incident was also condemned by The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals.

"We didn't want to think this was real when it was sent to us," says Michael Howie, a spokesman for the organization.

"But it is irrefutable at this point – the officer did in fact run over what we have been told was a coyote multiple times prior to using his sidearm to kill him in a more humane fashion," Howie said.

Acting Sgt. Lynda Cranney of Central Region OPP did not return CBC News' call for a comment.

WARNING: You can watch the video here but it contains graphic images
https://www.facebook.com/sarah.leggett. ... =2&theater

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/c ... -1.3281158
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Collingwood residents outraged after OPP officer runs over a

Postby Thomas » Wed Oct 21, 2015 3:34 am

Collingwood residents outraged after OPP officer runs over, shoots animal

Residents in Collingwood, Ont., say they are outraged after a video emerged online of an Ontario Provincial Police cruiser repeatedly running over an apparent coyote that was wandering around the community.

Collingwood resident Kelly O’Neill said she and another resident saw the animal in the neighbourhood on Monday night.

Residents alerted authorities and O’Neill said she kept a lookout for the coyote until OPP arrived at the scene.

“It just kept hanging around and it wasn't afraid of the vehicle at all, of anything. It was just lurking around looking at the vehicle,” O’Neill told CTV Barrie. “It wasn't afraid at all.”

But instead of capturing the animal, O’Neill said the police cruiser ran over the animal multiple times as residents looked on. One of the officers then got out of the car and shot the coyote.

The incident was captured on video and quickly began circulating social media.

On Facebook, the video quickly drew criticism condemning the officer’s actions.

“That is ridiculous. Was there not something else they could have done?” asked one commenter.

“There (are) humane ways to put threatening animals down,” said another. “Running over one repeatedly doesn’t fit in that category.”

Animal may have been resident’s dog

While O’Neill and others thought the animal was a coyote, resident Scott Klinck said he thinks the animal in question was his dog.

“(My dog) looks like a coyote. She is 21- years-old,” he said. “Being blind and deaf, she doesn't respond too well to anything really, so I can see how they mixed the dog up with a coyote because she looks like one. But I think running her over was a bit inhumane.”

Activists calling for animal cruelty investigation

In a statement released Tuesday, the OPP said they aware of the video and are investigating the incident.

The OPP “remain committed to destruction of wildlife that is an imminent threat to public safety,” the statement said.

But wildlife protection groups are calling for an animal cruelty investigation into the incident.

“We didn’t want to think this was real when it was sent to us, but it is irrefutable at this point,” said Michael Howie, spokesperson for the Association for the Protection of Fur-bearing Animals.

The Vancouver-based organization is asking that the Ontario SPCA and the OPP work together to conduct an animal cruelty investigation.

“This was not an accident or an aberration,” Howie added in a statement. “This was a choice made by an individual who, as an officer of the Ontario Provincial Police, has significant training in tactical use of force.”

Collingwood animal control officials still have the animal’s remains. They have not confirmed whether the animal was a dog or a coyote.

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/collingwood-r ... -1.2619983

http://www.cp24.com/news/animal-purpose ... -1.2619301
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Video shows OPP officer repeatedly running over animal

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:14 am

Video shows OPP officer repeatedly running over animal in Collingwood

Kelly O'Neill says her neighbours warned her last night that there was a coyote wandering around the neighbourhood.

Neighbours called animal control and police. O'Neil kept an eye on the animal until an OPP cruiser arrived.

“It just kept hanging around and it wasn't afraid of the vehicle at all, of anything. It was just lurking around looking at the vehicle. It wasn't afraid at all,” O’Neill says.

She says she was shocked by what happened next.

The cruiser bumped the animal as it laid on the road and when it didn't run away the cruiser ran over the animal two more times. As residents looked on, the officer than got out of the car and shot the animal.

The incident was captured on video and has been shared all over social media. On Facebook, many called for an investigation and disciplinary action against the officer.

“It is sickening to me that they are they men that are supposed to serve and protect our town,” says Jenna Elizabeth on Facebook. “This police officer needs to be held accountable.”

In a brief statement, the OPP said they are aware of the video and are looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The statement that the OPP, “remain committed to destruction of wildlife that is an imminent threat to public safety”.
A woman, who only identified herself as Christine, was disturbed by what she witnessed in front of her home last night. However, she says the animal was disoriented and supports the police officer’s actions.

“It was a decision that he had to make. I'm sure it hurt him as much as it hurts us to watch,” says Christine Soti. “He was asked out to help and help he did.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Scott Klinck, a man who lives just two blocks from the incident, told CTV News he thinks the animal in question was his dog.

“She looks like a coyote, she is 21- years-old. Being blind and deaf, she doesn't respond too well to anything really, so I can see how they mixed the dog up with a coyote because she looks like one. But I think running her over was a bit inhumane.”

‘The remains of the animal are still in the possession of animal control in Collingwood. Klinck hopes to see the remains for himself.

CTV News was unable to confirm whether the animal was a coyote or a dog.

Town officials say they cannot comment on a police investigation.

http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/video-shows-op ... -1.2619559
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OPP: Animal killed in Collingwood a dog, not coyote

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:19 am

Police have confirmed that an animal that was shot and killed Monday night in Collingwood was in fact a dog and not a coyote.

Ontario Provincial Police were heavily criticized Monday after a video surfaced showing a police vehicle running over the animal, continuing down the street, turning around and running over the animal again.

In a second clip, a police cruiser is seen and a single gunshot can be heard.

Resident Kelly O'Neil told CTV News Tuesday that the officer appeared to nudge the animal with its front bumper in an attempt to coax it away, before running it over.

"It just kept hanging around the vehicle and was not afraid of it at all," O'Neil said.

Police were first called to the scene by someone who reported seeing a large coyote in the area of Seventh Street, between Walnut and Oak streets, sometime around 9:30 p.m.

In a news release issued Tuesday, police said that “for the safety of the community, police had to put down this animal.”

But a resident in the area told CTV News he believed the animal that was crushed and shot was his aging, blind and deaf dog. On Wednesday, the man confirmed it was his dog that was killed.

The OPP said Wednesday they have contacted the dog’s owner and are continuing to investigate what happened.

"I think running her over was maybe a little inhumane," the dog's owner, identified only as Scott, told CTV News on Tuesday.

Residents on the street are now demanding answers saying they are outraged with what they perceive to be animal cruelty.

Video ‘disturbing,’ former OPP commissioner says

The former head of the province’s police force described video capturing the incident as ‘disturbing’ late Wednesday afternoon.

“I can see why the general public is concerned when they see that,” Chris Lewis, former OPP commissioner, said in an interview with CP24.

“I certainly am not aware of any time we have had to use a vehicle to kill an animal – justified of course. It was kind of a bizarre way to deal with (the dog).”

Lewis added that he did not know all the circumstances that led police to make the decision to kill the animal – including how the dog was behaving and what, if any, threat the animal posed to people in the area at the time.

“There are a lot of unknowns there," he said.

“But certainly at face value it appears shocking and concerning.”

http://www.cp24.com/news/opp-animal-kil ... -1.2620567
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Owner speaks out after dog killed by OPP in Collingwood

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:23 am

A disturbing video that appears to show an Ontario Provincial Police officer repeatedly running over a dog before shooting it is raising concerns about how police deal with wildlife.

“I’m a little bit in shock … I didn’t watch the video until [Wednesday] morning. It was enough to make me a lot more upset than I was last night,” the dog’s owner Karen Sutherland told CityNews.

“The way that she died, it wasn’t really how I wanted her to go,” Sutherland said.

Initially, it was thought that the officer ran over a coyote. Police said Wednesday it was a dog, and that officers were in touch with Sutherland.

Sutherland said her dog didn’t look like a coyote and “even if it was a coyote, I don’t think that’s how you should kill an animal.”

Sutherland said she got her dog Merrick from a native reserve near Medicine Hat, Alta. She was a 21-year-old German Shepard/Australian cattle dog mix. She was deaf and feeble, but could still run around, especially in the snow.

“She was an awesome dog. She’s been all over Canada with me,” Sutherland said.

“I thought I had at least another year out of her before I would put her down in a nice way, without her dying that way.”

The video was recorded on a quiet Collingwood street at around 10:30 p.m. on Monday. It has since been posted on social media and shared thousands of times.

It appears to show a cruiser running over the dog three times before an officer exits the vehicle. A gunshot can then be heard.

The video is dark, but the sounds are skin-crawling as residents pant and scream while witnessing the disturbing scene.

“Look, he’s hitting it again,” a woman can be heard yelling. “Oh my god, he just ran the coyote over … Oh god, oh no, stop it. No!”

The OPP says the officer was responding to a complaint about a potentially rabid animal acting aggressively. They say in light of the video, they are now reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Sarah Leggett, who posted the video on her Facebook page, says it was recorded by one of her neighbours.

“It’s not right, it’s animal cruelty by far,” Leggett told CityNews. “Something needs to be done. Honestly, he should not get away with doing that, that’s wrong.”

The woman who called 911 told CityNews the dog looked like a coyote and growled at the officer. The officer had first called out to the animal, but it didn’t come. Sutherland had said that when she first realized her dog was missing, she called for her too – but stopped because Merrick is deaf.

The woman who called 911 added she has been “crying all morning” after hearing it was a dog.

It’s not the first time law enforcement has come under fire for their treatment of wild animals.

In 2013, Toronto police faced criticism for shooting and killing a coyote in the Beaches.

And this past summer, residents in Newmarket were outraged after a York Regional Police officer shot and killed a young black bear that had climbed a backyard tree.

Melissa Matlow, of World Animal Protection, says the latest video “raises the question of whether our police are equipped and trained to handle these situations humanely.”

Matlow adds that coyotes are rarely carriers of rabies.

“I just hope the OPP will take a look to see why this happened,” she said. “Because that was not a humane way of dealing with a wildlife issue.”

In a statement, the Ontario SPCA said it was aware of the situation and is in touch with the OPP.

“The OPP has the same jurisdiction as the Ontario SPCA, the matter is in their hands at this time,” the statement read.

http://www.citynews.ca/2015/10/20/owner ... llingwood/
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Owner ‘disgusted’ after OPP officers allegedly ran over and

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:25 am

TORONTO — The owner of a dog that was allegedly run over by Ontario Provincial Police officers multiple times and then shot in Collingwood, Ont. Monday says she is “disgusted.”

Karen Sutherland, the owner of the 21-year-old German Shepherd-cattle dog mix named Merrick, told Global News she is still recovering from the incident.

“I’m kind of in shock right now, I’m having a hard time dealing with not only that she’s gone but just the way she went — it’s makes me just feel really, really bad for her,” Sutherland said.

“She was awesome, she was my sidekick. Everyone knew where Karen went, Merrick went. She was a sweet dog, never bit anyone, no aggression, she loves all animals, loves all dogs. She’s never, ever been a problem at all.”

Footage of the incident, which happened in a residential neighbourhood, has since gone viral after a witness posted it on Facebook Monday.

“Look he’s hitting it again. Oh my God. He just ran the coyote over,” a woman is heard saying in the video. The animal was originally thought to be a coyote but OPP confirmed it was a dog on Wednesday.

Sarah Leggett, the woman who posted the video recorded by a neighbour, said the incident took place around 10:30 p.m. ET. on election night.

“Horrible! I couldn’t believe it,” she wrote on her Facebook page.

Sutherland said Merrick was in great shape physically, but was deaf and had declining eyesight. The dog had gone missing after a storm had uprooted a fence in Sutherland’s yard, which is how the dog escaped.

“We looked around for her and looked around for her and so we just went to bed and left the gate open because she’s not the kind of dog that would stray,” she said.

“So then I left the next morning and a friend of mine said that he had heard about a coyote getting hit by a car and then shot and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, maybe that was Merrick.’ So I called them and was waiting for a response.

“But I thought maybe a cop accidentally hit her because it was rainy out and had to shoot her, I didn’t realize that the officer actually ran over her a couple of times on purpose so upon seeing that, (I was) just really upset about the way that she went like that — it’s just heartbreaking for me.”

Sutherland said police told her the officers were following proper protocol and that they will be speaking with her about the incident at a later time.

Global News has since learned through police sources that taking down an animal with the use of a vehicle is not considered proper police protocol.

“I’ve heard that he’s a dog owner as well and he feels really bad so I don’t know, I just think the whole thing is really, really crappy,” she said.

“The worst case scenario that you could really possibly have to have your dog go missing and then get run over by a police officer.”

Sutherland said she’s trying not to get too angry about the tragic death of her dog, adding that she would become overwhelmed with anger unless she tried to stay positive.

“I’m very upset about it, I’m just trying to be realistic and I’m not going to drag it out and ruin someone else’s life,” she said.

“I’m just disgusted and I just wish it didn’t happen because it kind of just, it’s just something that’s always going to be with me — the memory of that’s how my dog went after having her for that many years.”

News of the incident soon spread on social media with many calling the action cruel and inappropriate.

Police had initially said in a media release that the animal was a coyote and officers were responding to a report that it was aggressive and possibly rabid.

But OPP Acting Sergeant Lynda Cranney confirmed on Wednesday the animal was in fact a dog and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.


Police had said the animal posed a danger to the public and other animals in the community, but did not clarify as to why the officers chose to run it over.

Sutherland said that despite losing her dog, she doesn’t want to see the officers punished too severely.

“I think that they’re having enough bad on them and I think something like this, if ever this did arise I don’t think it would happen again,” she said, adding that she hoped the police received more education for dealing with similar situations in the future.

The Ontario SPCA, who handles animal cruelty cases, said they are aware of the situation and has reached out to the OPP on the matter.

“The OPP has the same jurisdiction as the Ontario SPCA. The matter is in their hands at this time,” said OSPCA Inspector Brad Dewar.

An animal protection group said it is calling for a cruelty investigation into the death.

“We didn’t want to think this was real when it was sent to us,” says Michael Howie, spokesperson for The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals.

“But it is irrefutable at this point – the officer did in fact run over what we have been told was a coyote multiple times prior to using his sidearm to kill him in a more humane fashion.”

The group said cutbacks to Ministry of Natural Resources and downloading of responsibility is causing authorities to use other means to deal with wildlife calls.

“Police officers are highly trained and typically responsible individuals,” Howie added. “But their mandate should not include responding to wildlife calls.”

Questions were also raised earlier this summer when York Regional Police shot and killed a black bear wandering in a Newmarket, Ont. neighbourhood north of Toronto.

Police said they had no choice but to shoot the bear after it was cornered in a backyard and officers were waiting for Ministry of Natural Resources staff to arrive.

Many people took to social media to express their outrage over the bear’s death and to criticize police for not trying to subdue the animal first.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2289912/video ... ng-coyote/
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‘Loyal, amazing’: Owners mourn dog killed by OPP officer

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:29 am

‘Loyal, amazing’: Owners mourn dog killed by OPP officer in Collingwood

Karen Sutherland and Scott Klinck got the sad news on Tuesday night that an animal that was killed by an OPP officer wasn't a coyote, it was their dog Merrick.

Police were called to the residential neighbourhood in Collingwood at around 9:30 p.m. on Monday night for two reports of a coyote in the area acting strangely.

A neighbour captured the graphic incident on video. It shows the OPP cruiser bumping the dog as it laid on the road and when it doesn’t run away, the cruiser runs over the dog two more times. The officer then gets out of the cruiser and shoots the dog.

“Loyal, amazing, she followed me around everywhere, she was awesome with other dogs she was awesome with everybody,” says Sutherland. “Everybody knew Merrick. She has been my sidekick forever. It's going to be weird going places and not having her with me.”

Sutherland says Merrick was more than 20-years-old, deaf and suffered from dementia. The dog slipped out of their backyard through a gate that had blown open during a storm that night.

Klinck brought Merrick home on Wednesday wrapped in a pink blanket. He can’t believe the dog was considered a threat.

“She looks a little odd in her old age, but they still could have dealt with it in a more humane way,” he says.

The Ontario SPCA has received complaints about this incident, but says in a brief statement they are leaving the investigation to the police.

Insp. John Trude, detachment commander for Collingwood OPP, says the force's professional standards bureau will look into what happened.

“It appears obviously at this point there has been a tragic mistake and the appearance of a coyote was in fact not true,” Trude says. “The officer and the people in the neighbourhood were acting on that belief and they were acting in their best interests.”

Trude says the results of the investigation will be made public.

Public outrage

The story and video have prompted a lot of reaction by people throughout the region and online.

Rick Foley served as an volunteer with the OSPCA and has been an animal welfare activist for nearly 20 years. He says he’s had a hard time watching the video.

"I talked to colleagues in the last 18 hours to find out if this has ever happened before. Never in any of their experiences has this happened before, where a police officer has used his vehicle to kill and animal where it was walking on the road," he says.

Foley believes police officers are not trained to deal with animals. He believes if the officer was cornered, he should have called for help and suggests the officer didn't get a close enough look.

"Usually when you have to dispatch an animal, you dispatch it in the most humane method and the most humane method is you shoot it, you don't use your vehicle."

For some dog owners, this incident has been troubling.

"I didn't know what to say. Just the thought of that being my dog... it's heart-wrenching," one person said.

On the CTV Barrie Facebook page, many viewers have voiced their thoughts on the video.

“This is outrageous. If a civilian had done this, charges would have been laid. It is time for the police to be trained as conservation officers, which also serve and protect, so this stupid mistake never happens again,” says Janey Joseph.

“This is disgusting. Doesn’t matter if it was a dog or a coyote, still disgusting either way! Makes me sick,” says Talisa Fetterley.

However, there are others siding with the officer. Mick Payne can understand the confusion. He says his dog Wylie, looks like a coyote.

"It does affect you because you’re a dog owner and it's an animal, but I think if everyone found out it was a coyote, they would have praised the officer and you’re right in a residential area and it could have taken a child."

"Chance of rabies, very rare in a coyote. Lots of it happening in fox and what not, but if he thought, he perceived a threat to the general public, I think he was justified in what he did," says Gary Banting from Wolf's Den Sporting Supplies.

Merrick’s owners say they want to put this sad event to rest a soon as possible, but they do want an apology from police.

http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/loyal-amazing- ... -1.2620595
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OPP admit killing dog they thought was a coyote

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:31 am

Ontario Provincial Police have launched an investigation after a video surfaced online that appeared to show one of its officers running over a dog three times with his patrol car before getting out, shooting and killing it.

The force admitted the officer killed a dog he apparently believed was a coyote in Collingwood, Ont., about 150 kilometres north of Toronto, on Monday night.

Christine Soti said she was at her home watching the results of the federal election roll in around 9 p.m. when she noticed an animal limping around her property, sniffing the ground.

She thought it was a coyote and it seemed, she said, to be acting strangely. The community was on edge, Soti added, because there had been coyote sightings and a number of cats had gone missing.

The animal was "almost in a daze," she said.

"It just wasn't right -- there was something not right about it."

So she called animal control. They told her to call police, Soti said. She alerted a neighbour to the dog's whereabouts after he wandered away. That neighbour then called police after the dog lunged and growled at them, Soti said.

Then she stood with her neighbour, who recorded the incident on her phone, and watched as the officers arrived to deal with the animal.

Soti said she saw the officer run over the dog with his patrol car twice but the animal was still able to get on his feet and move. So he backed his patrol car farther down the street and accelerated, building up speed before running over the animal again, she said.

The video, which was posted to Facebook by one of her neighbour's friends, shows the sequence of events.

"The animal was still moving" even after he'd run over the third time, Soti said.

"The eyes were opening and closing," Soti said.

That's when the officer took out his gun and shot the dog, killing it.

"I haven't slept in two days and this morning I found out it was a dog," she said as she broke down on the phone with The Canadian Press. "I've been doing nothing but crying."

In a news release Tuesday, the OPP said they responded to a report of a coyote and said the animal was aggressive and possibly rabid, and had to be put down "for the safety of the community."

Acting Sgt. Lynda Cranney said "the OPP remain committed to the humane destruction of wildlife that present an imminent threat to public safety," but she conceded that the animal killed by the officer was a domesticated dog.

Cranney refused to answer further questions, saying only that the dog's owner had been contacted and that it was an active investigation.

She wouldn't say whether the officer in question has been reprimanded or if police had apologized to its owner.

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/opp-admit-k ... -1.2620772

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... e26900913/

http://london.ctvnews.ca/ontario-police ... -1.2620745
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OPP deliberately runs over dog on Collingwood street

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:33 am

A a dog wandering in the middle of the street in a residential neighbourhood of Collingwood was run over and shot by an OPP officer on Monday night.

The killing was captured on video by a Barrie resident who posted it on Facebook.

OPP Acting Sgt. Lynda Cranney confirmed that the animal was a dog.

She said it was too early to determine if it had rabies or any other disease.

Ontario Provincial Police say they've launched an investigation to find out what exactly happened.

Police were responding to a complaint when a cruiser was dispatched to the neighbourhood, she said, adding there have been complaints of coyotes in the city.

She said she did not know the age or breed of the dog.

“The owner was contacted last night by the OPP and the incident is under investigation,” Cranney said on Wednesday.

“It was last night, on my street,” Collingwood resident Sarah Leggett posted on Facebook on Tuesday. “I was 3 doors down, between 10-1030.”

Her grainy nighttime video shows the light-coloured dog walking slowly down her residential street at nighttime.

An OPP cruiser arrives and drives into the animal, then backs over it.

An officer then shoots it.

The Star reported last November that there have been several reports of coyotes attacking pets in Burlington and Mississauga.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015 ... treet.html
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Owner upset OPP officer ran over 'sweet dog' twice

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:37 am

COLLINGWOOD - The owners of a 21-year-old dog that ran away during a storm Monday are shocked that a police officer mistook their beloved pet for a coyote and callously ran the pooch over with his cruiser — twice — before shooting her dead.

The incident was captured on video by residents of Seventh St. who watched in horror as the OPP officer killed the dog around 9:30 p.m.

“I’m having a hard time dealing with not only that she’s gone, but the way she went,” Karen Sutherland said Wednesday. “It makes me feel really sad for her.”

She said Merrick was her “sidekick” for about 18 years and the German sheppard-cattle dog cross was already a few years old when she brought her home.

“She was a sweet dog,” said Sutherland, who claims Merrick was “never aggressive.”

In a statement released Tuesday, the OPP said an officer responded to a report of a coyote that was “aggressive” and possibly rabid.

“Due to the danger this animal posed to both people and other animals and for the safety of the community, police had to put the animal down,” Const. Mark Kinney said.

In the video footage, which was posted online Wednesday, bystanders sound distraught as they watch the incident unfold.

“Look, he’s hitting it again,” one woman shouts. “Oh my God, he just ran the coyote over.”

Another woman pleads for the officer to “stop it.”

Moments later, a single gunshot rings out on the darkened street.

“It was brutal,” Scott Klinck said after watching the video of his girlfriend’s dog being killed.

He said Merrick had survived horse kicks, porcupine quills and even being hit by a car once during her more than two decades of life.

And the way the pet ultimately met her demise was “so heartbreaking,” Klinck said.

Killing dog with car 'disturbing': Vet

“I was disturbed that he didn’t even get out of his car to look,” he said of the officer. “I was just blown away.”

The OPP has confirmed the animal their officer shot dead was a dog not a coyote.

Sutherland explained Merrick had been sleeping in her dog house in the backyard Monday and escaped through a gap in the fence that opened up when winds increased during a storm.

Upon realizing she was gone, Sutherland scoured the neighbourhood but was unable to find her.

Merrick was deaf and Sutherland suspects that is why the dog didn’t come running when she was calling out for her.

The next morning, a friend told her a coyote had been run over and shot by a cop and she immediately became concerned about the elderly pet.

Her worst fears were confirmed when she called the OPP, thinking the officer must have ran over Merrick accidentally in the rain and then “had to shoot her” to end her suffering.

“I didn’t realize that the officer actually ran over her, a couple times, on purpose,” Sutherland said.

While she is upset her longtime friend was killed, she said there is “no point” in being angry at the officer.

“I just wish it didn’t happen,” Sutherland said. “It’s something that’s always going to be with me, the memory of how my dog went after having her for so many years.”

She hopes the OPP will tell its officers that in the future they are “not supposed to run over animals.”

http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/10/21/opp ... s-a-coyote
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Owner ‘feels sick’ after OPP admit killing dog

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:40 am

Owner ‘feels sick’ after OPP admit killing dog they thought was a coyote

A video shows an OPP cruiser running over the animal then backing over it. An officer then shot the animal.

Karen Sutherland knew the day was coming when she would have to say goodbye to her 21-year-old dog Merrick.

She could never have imagined, however, the dog's life would end after being intentionally hit three times by a police cruiser then shot and killed by a cop.

The death of Merrick, her constant companion since she adopted the German shepherd-cross from an animal shelter in Alberta 18 years ago, was caught on video and posted to Facebook. The incident has since made national headlines.

"I feel sick about the whole thing," said Sutherland. "I wish it wasn't my dog."

Merrick went to work with Sutherland every day, most recently while she worked as a gardener.

"I've had her my whole adult life," said Sutherland. "She's been through five or six relationships with me. People used to say 'Oh my god, is she sill alive?' and I used to always joke that she was still alive to look after me."

Merrick was completely deaf, but otherwise healthy.

Sutherland has seen only a small portion of the video footage captured by a witness of her dog's death, but that was enough to make her sick.

"She's just the sweetest little animal," said Sutherland. "I just feel so bad for my dog. After all this time I've had with her to lose her like that."

The Collingwood woman is angry at the police officer and cannot understand why he or anyone would run over an animal multiple times.

"Even if he had just gotten out and shot her," she said. "Or just got out and realized that's not a dangerous coyote, that's a dog."

Merrick escaped Sutherland's yard when a windstorm blew over a piece of the fence. The dog was wandering on Seventh Street when neighbours mistook it for a coyote and called police. One nearby resident Kelly O'Neill shot video on her phone of the police responding to the call. "[The dog] was just kind of lurking around. It had its head down; it was just wandering around," O'Neill. "It wasn't afraid of the police car."?

O'Neill said, when the officer arrived, he nudged the animal with his car.

"When he first got there, he nudged it and he ran over it a second time and a third time and then he shot it," she said. She posted the video to her Facebook page, where it was picked up by Simcoe.com and has since made national headlines.

"I thought it was disgusting," she said. "I knew what he was doing was wrong. I just wanted people to see that it was really inhumane and the wrong decision to make."

The video shows the cruiser running over the dog and shows the officer shooting the dog.

The fallout from the incident has been difficult, she said. "I barely slept last night, I barely slept the night before. It keeps replaying in my head," she said.

"There is a bunch of negative attention online and people are blaming me, saying I caused all of this. I never wanted any of this to happen. Dog or coyote, what the officer did was completely wrong."?

O'Neill said she was devastated to learn it was a dog, not a coyote. "I feel bad that I've got it on video and it turns out it is someone's pet," she said.

Neighbour Christine Soti can be heard screaming "oh my God," and "stop it" on the video as she witnesses dog's death.

"It was very upsetting," Soti said. "I'm an animal lover and to see something like that …"

Soti said she initially called the OPP and animal control because at one point, the animal was on her front lawn.

"It was dark, it was raining, it was lightning, it was pretty bad weather," she said. "It was standing right out front here and I went, 'that's a coyote.' It looked very much like a coyote. There is something not right with this animal. He had his nose to the ground the whole time."

She was concerned because 13 cats had disappeared from the neighbourhood over the last several months.

While it was disturbing to watch, Soti feels bad for the police officer.

"That police officer was just as shaken as we were," she said. "It was a very hard task for him to do. He had no choice, he couldn't shoot it on people's property. He had to get it on the road. In order to subdue it so that he could shoot it, he had to run it over. What was he going to do? I feel just as bad for him."

Police released a statement Oct. 20 calling the animal a "coyote" and saying the animal was "aggressive" and possibly "rabid".

Collingwood Detachment Commander Insp. John Trude confirmed Oct. 21 it was a dog.

At first glance, the animal looked like a coyote, according to Trude.

"After everybody has had a good close look at it, it's a dog," he said.

The professional standards bureau of the OPP is conducting an investigation into the matter. The officer responsible has not been relieved of duty.

"All that I will caution is sometimes video isn't what it exactly seems to be," Trude said.?

There are a number of considerations officers must take into account when dealing with a call about a wild animal, he said. "If the officers find it that way, they have to take into consideration the potential danger to other domestic animals in the area, maybe other people and [ask themselves] 'do I have to destroy it?'"

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/59708 ... -a-coyote/
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Owner upset OPP officer ran over 'sweet dog' twice

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 8:59 am

COLLINGWOOD - The owners of a 21-year-old dog that ran away during a storm Monday are shocked that a police officer mistook their beloved pet for a coyote and callously ran the pooch over with his cruiser — twice — before shooting her dead.

The incident was captured on video by residents of Seventh St. who watched in horror as the OPP officer killed the dog around 9:30 p.m.

“I’m having a hard time dealing with not only that she’s gone, but the way she went,” Karen Sutherland said Wednesday. “It makes me feel really sad for her.”

She said Merrick was her “sidekick” for about 18 years and the German sheppard-cattle dog cross was already a few years old when she brought her home.

“She was a sweet dog,” said Sutherland, who claims Merrick was “never aggressive.”

In a statement released Tuesday, the OPP said an officer responded to a report of a coyote that was “aggressive” and possibly rabid.

“Due to the danger this animal posed to both people and other animals and for the safety of the community, police had to put the animal down,” Const. Mark Kinney said.

In the video footage, which was posted online Wednesday, bystanders sound distraught as they watch the incident unfold.

“Look, he’s hitting it again,” one woman shouts. “Oh my God, he just ran the coyote over.”

Another woman pleads for the officer to “stop it.”

Moments later, a single gunshot rings out on the darkened street.

“It was brutal,” Scott Klinck said after watching the video of his girlfriend’s dog being killed.

He said Merrick had survived horse kicks, porcupine quills and even being hit by a car once during her more than two decades of life.

And the way the pet ultimately met her demise was “so heartbreaking,” Klinck said.

Killing dog with car 'disturbing': Vet

“I was disturbed that he didn’t even get out of his car to look,” he said of the officer. “I was just blown away.”

The OPP has confirmed the animal their officer shot dead was a dog not a coyote.

Sutherland explained Merrick had been sleeping in her dog house in the backyard Monday and escaped through a gap in the fence that opened up when winds increased during a storm.

Upon realizing she was gone, Sutherland scoured the neighbourhood but was unable to find her.

Merrick was deaf and Sutherland suspects that is why the dog didn’t come running when she was calling out for her.

The next morning, a friend told her a coyote had been run over and shot by a cop and she immediately became concerned about the elderly pet.

Her worst fears were confirmed when she called the OPP, thinking the officer must have ran over Merrick accidentally in the rain and then “had to shoot her” to end her suffering.

“I didn’t realize that the officer actually ran over her, a couple times, on purpose,” Sutherland said.

While she is upset her longtime friend was killed, she said there is “no point” in being angry at the officer.

“I just wish it didn’t happen,” Sutherland said. “It’s something that’s always going to be with me, the memory of how my dog went after having her for so many years.”

She hopes the OPP will tell its officers that in the future they are “not supposed to run over animals.”

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/10/21/op ... s-a-coyote
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“Coyote” OPP Killed Was 21-yr-old Deaf & Blind “Merrick”

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:57 am

Turns out that the coyote killed in Collingwood Monday night after being deliberately hit by an OPP cruiser three times and then shot… WASN’T A COYOTE! The OPP claimed it was an “aggressive” and “rabid” animal. But in reality it was neighbourhood resident Karen Sutherland’s 21-year-old deaf and blind companion, Merrick.

That’s some fine police work there, Lou.


Sutherland is shocked by the way dealt with her German shepherd-cross pet, which she picked up from an animal shelter out in Alberta 18 years ago.

“I feel sick about the whole thing,” said Sutherland. “I wish it wasn’t my dog.”

Merrick accompanies Sutherland everywhere, even to work, and has been with her through multiple relationships. The canine was completely deaf, but healthy.

Sutherland is not happy with how police handled the situation, and doesn’t understand why they decided to drive over the creature three times.

She believes that Merrick escaped her yard when wind blew part of the fencing down. The animal then wandered the street, prompting some residents to report the “coyote” to the authorities.

Fellow resident Kelly O’Neill recorded the now famous video of the fatal interaction. She explains that she shared the video because she “wanted people to see that it was really inhumane and the wrong decision to make.”

Not everybody who has seen the video isn’t happy with O’Neill’s decision to post the footage. “There is a bunch of negative attention online and people are blaming me, saying I caused all of this.”

Her neighbour, Christine Soti, is the one screaming “oh my God” and “stop it” during the video. Interestingly enough, she was the one who initially called the OPP and animal control because the dog was on her lawn.

“It was dark, it was raining, it was lightning, it was pretty bad weather,” she told the Collingwood Connection HERE. “It was standing right out front here and I went, ‘that’s a coyote.’ It looked very much like a coyote. There is something not right with this animal. He had his nose to the ground the whole time.”

Soti tried to support the cops decision, saying that “that police officer was just as shaken as we were,” she said. “It was a very hard task for him to do. He had no choice, he couldn’t shoot it on people’s property. He had to get it on the road. In order to subdue it so that he could shoot it, he had to run it over. What was he going to do? I feel just as bad for him.”

Soooo…. first she wants the dog dead, then she’s shocked as it’s being killed, then she defends the cop for killing it? That’s quite a confusing narrative.

After the video was posted online, the OPP said the officer was justified in his actions as the coyote was “aggressive” and “rabid”. Now the professional standards bureau is looking into the officer’s conduct.



Knowing now that it was somebody’s pet and NOT a coyote, do you think the OPP handled this situation properly? Should the officer be fired over his conduct? Does the owner bear some responsibility for not ensuring that the front yard was properly secured?

Some online are even questioning the fact that Karen Sutherland kept alive a 21-year-old dog that was completely deaf and going blind, instead of euthanizing it!

http://www.640toronto.com/2015/10/22/oakley-334/
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Petitions call for Collingwood OPP officer to be charged

Postby Thomas » Thu Oct 22, 2015 11:00 am

Petitions call for Collingwood OPP officer to be charged with cruelty

Two online petitions have been launched calling on officials to lay animal cruelty charges against the Collingwood OPP officer who repeatedly ran over a dog before shooting it.

Sarah Abawi, a Collingwood resident who created a group called Collingwood Animal Rights Advocate and runs a dog rescue organization, launched a petition asking for charges to be laid.

As of Wednesday night, more than 5,300 people had signed her petition.

Abawi, who does not know the family who owned the dog, told Simcoe.com she wants to see the town establish a committee on how wildlife and domestic animals should be dealt with. As an example, she pointed to a coyote management and coexistence plan developed by the Humane Society of the United States.

Positive change for the benefit of both human and wildlife cohabitation are needed,” Abawi wrote in the preamble to her petition. “The current method that is being used for coyote control by the Collingwood OPP is not only inhumane, it is not conducive to maintaining the balance of natural animal population control.”

“I support and respect the local OPP and all the wonderful things they do to protect our community,” Abawi stated in a message to The Connection. “Animals are a huge part of my life. I want to work with the town and the OPP to ensure a new policy is implemented.”

A second petition, created by Susan Mailloux, also calls for the officer to face charges of animal cruelty.

Mailloux, who has not yet responded to a request for comment, stated in the petition’s preamble that while police officers deserve respect and thanks, she believes the officer involved should be fired.

Mailloux’s petition had been signed by 246 people, many from other countries.

http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/597204 ... h-cruelty/
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