http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090807/NEWS/908070315
Really? Maybe he would have been better off standing 230 yards away.
*Disclaimer*
This thread is not intended to be about the cat or the concerned citizens group. Simply the fact that a handgun is being reported to not be a close quarters weapon on an immobile target.
PROVINCETOWN — A Provincetown police officer shot a severely injured cat early Monday morning to relieve its suffering, according to Provincetown police Chief Jeff Jaran.
But questions about the number of times the handgun was fired — four — were raised on a local blog maintained by the Provincetown Association of Concerned Citizens.
A citizen called police at 11:45 p.m. on Sunday from near Creek Road to report an injured cat. A summer patrolman went to the call, put the cat in a crate and brought it to the police station. Patrolman Geoffrey Pavao, the officer-in-charge for the shift, assessed the cat's status and decided that it needed to be put down right away, Jaran said.
Pavao took the cat to the department of public works garage, shot his gun four times and killed the cat. He then placed the dead animal in a plastic bag and left it for the department of public works employees to dispose of, Jaran said.The cat had open wounds with maggots feeding on its flesh, Jaran said.
"The officer determined that it was clearly suffering. It could barely move," he said. "It was put down humanely."
There have been no written or verbal complaints filed with the police department, Jaran said. A patrolman is allowed to use his gun to kill an injured animal for humanitarian reasons as long as it occurs in a place that protects anyone from getting shot, said Jaran.
Police department managers in Wellfleet, Dennis and Mashpee confirmed that their departments have similar policies. The Cape managers cited an example of an injured deer on the side of a road.
Pavao recorded the use of his handgun with the department, as is required, Jaran said. The officer chose not to drive an hour to an animal hospital given the cat's poor condition.
"I'm also under budget constraints," Jaran said. "I can't justify transporting the animal, to take my resources all the way out of town for an animal that needs to be put down. There needs to be a bit of common sense as well."
A patrolman could conceiveably need to fire his gun four times at close-range, said Wellfleet Police Chief Richard Rosenthal.
The lines of sight on a handgun are designed for targets farther away than the cat would likely have been, so the officer could possibly have needed a few shots to kill the animal, Rosenthal said.
A patrolman could conceiveably need to fire his gun four times at close-range, said Wellfleet Police Chief Richard Rosenthal.
The lines of sight on a handgun are designed for targets farther away than the cat would likely have been, so the officer could possibly have needed a few shots to kill the animal, Rosenthal said.
Really? Maybe he would have been better off standing 230 yards away.
*Disclaimer*
This thread is not intended to be about the cat or the concerned citizens group. Simply the fact that a handgun is being reported to not be a close quarters weapon on an immobile target.