Cop shoots dog....again

Pit Bull Shooting By Off-Duty Deputy Investigated


KSBW-TV

9:32 a.m. PDT June 10, 2004 - The Monterey County Parks Department has turned part of the investigation of the shooting of a pit bull by an off-duty deputy over to the Monterey County Sheriff's Department.

Off-duty Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Kobayashi shot and killed the pit bull at the beach in Marina June 2 after, he says, the dog tried to attack. The investigation will try to determine if the shooting was justified.

Angel Cooper heard the shot and turned to see her little brother, Jason, collapse in the sand. She says she thought he was shot, but fear quickly turned to anger when she discovered the family's dog was shot.

"My brother was 7 feet away from the dog. It could have ricocheted off one of her bones and hit him," Angel Cooper said.

Angel's mother, Annette Cooper, is threatening to sue the sheriff's department, saying she was furious that Kobayashi would fire a gun so close to her children.

Kobayashi says the family's pit bull, Joy, was threatening his dog and his son. But Annette Cooper says the deputy should have tried to stop the dog another way before shooting it.

This is not the first time an off-duty sheriff's deputy has been criticized for firing his gun. Monterey County fired Deputy Louis Parker in 2002 after he brought his semiautomatic rifle into a King City embroidery shop and accidentally shot the owner. The victim is permanently disabled and sued the county.

The Deputy claims he wasn't properly trained to handle the weapon. The sheriff's department says it trains its deputies not to use deadly force unless they fear lives are in danger. They're supposed to follow what they call "escalation of force," starting with a verbal warning, then using a Taser, mace or pepper spray, before using a gun.

If Deputy Kobayashi jumped the gun and fired too soon, Sheriff Mike Kanalakis says he'll find out.

"There's a lot that remains to been seen," Kanalakis said.

The sheriff's department says it is handling the investigation into the shooting internally.

Officials say both the deputy and the Cooper family broke the law by walking their dogs on the beach because the dunes are closed to protect an endangered bird.

The parks department is still trying to decide if it will charge them.