Kansas City police officer fatally shot ‘defenseless and fleeing’ dog, lawsuit says
A Northland couple is suing the Kansas City Police Department in federal court, alleging an officer fatally shot their dog and caused a minor injury to one of its owners with a ricocheting bullet.
The lawsuit, filed last week by Brandee Buschmann and William Morrison, claims Officer John Beck “executed a defenseless and fleeing animal” without just cause.
The police department, they allege, “rubber-stamped” his actions as justified without a proper review.
Capt. Leslie Foreman, a police spokeswoman, said the department generally does not comment on pending litigation “to ensure fairness on all sides.” Department policy allows officers to kill animals that are a threat to public safety or department members.
On July 30, 2016, two officers were dispatched to the couple’s home after a neighbor reported hearing screaming and yelling, according to the lawsuit.
The officers approached a door to the couple’s home, as shown on a home surveillance camera, and saw the back door cracked open. They knocked and backed away. Soon after, the dog ran out of the door toward Beck, who fired and missed.
After the missed shot, the owners said, the dog turned and ran back toward the house. The officer fired again as the dog, named Sierra, was retreating and struck her fatally, the lawsuit claims.
The officers “simply left the scene” as the owners grieved over their dog’s body, according to the lawsuit. The pair is also suing the second officer, who is identified in the lawsuit without a first name as Officer Lagud.
The lawsuit also claims the noises reported by the neighbor likely came from a nearby walking trail. Media reports at the time said the shooting occurred near the 3800 block of North Cleveland Avenue.
In the days that followed, police “failed to conduct” any probe into the shooting, the couple alleges. They said shell casings were “left untouched” in their yard for months “in hopes that somebody from the Kansas City Police Department would come to investigate.”
The couple is seeking financial compensation for the loss of their dog as well as a personal injury.
Eric Crinnian, an attorney representing the couple, said his clients want justice for Sierra. Among the other restitution his clients want to see are changes in KCPD’s policies and practices related to investigations when firearms are discharged in similar situations.
He mentioned a case led by his co-council in St. Louis where a $750,000 settlement was reached after a SWAT team killed a dog while serving a warrant for a utility violation. It may be one of the largest dog shooting settlements in the U.S. history, Crinnian said.
“Even though we can’t necessarily put a financial value on the value of the dog’s life, jurors, and I think to a certain extent judges, are starting to get this idea now too that these kinds of invasions into people’s civil rights are meritorious of compensation in and of themselves,” Crinnian said.
Crinnian also contends the use of force by police against domestic animals is a widespread issue. He said there is no uniform tracking across the country.
In March, the owner of a tow lot filed a federal lawsuit against the department over a separate incident, alleging that officers violated his civil rights and fatally shot his dog in March 2019 while executing a search warrant on his property.
This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 2:13 PM.
