Councilman expresses “disgust” over dachshund shooting

Danville City Councilman Adam Tomer publicly expressed his “anger and disgust” at Tuesday’s City Council meeting over the recent shooting of a 12-pound, 11-year-old miniature dachshund by a police officer.

Tomer began his comments by saying he has always been supportive of the police department, and has been a vocal proponent of competitive pay for its officers and of having sufficient staff to protect the city.

“I am not upset with the police department as a whole over the handling of the shooting of the dachshund, but I am angry and disgusted at the action itself and the way the leadership has handled it within the police department,” Tomer said.

Tomer recalled a case two years ago involving a black Labrador retriever that ended with the animal needing to have a leg amputated as a result of being shot. He said the dog got surgery for its injuries through the Danville Area Humane Society and ultimately found a new home. Tomer said he visited the dog several times at the shelter, donated money for the surgery and saw no aggressive behavior from the dog.

“Here we have a similar situation, though this dog showed aggressive tendencies,” Tomer said.

Tomer noted that Killer, the dog shot June 8, was not on a leash and the owners were disobeying the leash laws by letting it roam the streets near its home — but said there was still “no excuse” for shooting the animal.

“There are alternative uses of force,” Tomer said. “I would question what postal workers and meter readers do … (they) come across aggressive dogs and we don’t see them carrying guns and killing (dogs).”

Tomer said the situation has “embarrassed the town and embarrassed its leadership … I do not understand how we have a leader in the police department who can justify this action.”

On June 8, Officer Murrill McLean went to serve warrants at a house on Berman Street at about 8:50 p.m. The dog, owned by neighbors, approached the officer from behind, showed its teeth and growled, according to the original news release from the police department.

The dog then lunged at McLean, who drew his pistol and fired one shot, killing the dog.

Police Chief Philip Broadfoot defended McLean’s action, saying McLean was in a “precarious situation” and only had a fraction of a second to make a decision on how to react.

“I’m not expressing regret over the decision,” Broadfoot said on June 11.

Broadfoot’s statement unleashed a backlash of comments from people all over the country, some of which were death threats targeted at both the police department and the humane society.

At a Monday news conference, Broadfoot said he was surprised by the reaction.

“It is clear that I greatly misjudged what the public reaction would be to Officer McLean’s fear of rabies,” Broadfoot said.

Tomer said the issue needs to be resolved, and is asking for a meeting with City Manager Lyle Lacy to discuss what can be done to ensure it never happens again.

“We are accountable to the constituents and accountable to the citizens of the city,” Tomer said. “A far greater number than I have seen on any issues, not only from the Danville but nationwide, are upset about this. I think this is by far not over.”

City Council has authority over only three of the city’s employees: the city manager, the city attorney and the city clerk. The city manager is responsible for oversight of the rest of the staff.

Mayor Sherman Saunders said citizen comments were being passed along to Lacy.

“I want the people to know we hear you,” Saunders said. “The issue is being addressed.”