Friday , 22 November 2024

Quebec woman sues officer after dog shooting

Information by @cbcmontreal:

Que. woman sues officer after dog shooting

A surveillance video shows the police officer pointing what Geneviève Gariépy said was a gun at her and her dogs as she walked towards her house in Saint-Hippolyte, Que., in 2008. (Radio-Canada)A Quebec woman is suing a provincial police officer after her dog was shot and he allegedly aimed the firearm her way.

The February 2008 incident was recorded on a residential surveillance video camera, and the footage was obtained by Radio-Canada’s investigative program Ênquete.

The video shows a Sûreté du Québec car stopping in front of Geneviève Gariépy’s driveway in Saint-Hippolyte, about an hour’s drive north of Montreal.

Gariépy said the officer came to the house after a neighbour complained about her two barking German shepherds.

She said the dogs, who were excited, ran up to the police car to greet him.

“He took his gun, and he saw right away my German shepherds,” she said in an interview. Less than eight seconds after the car arrived, the video shows dogs retreating.

That’s when Gariépy realized that one of the dogs had been shot in the face.

“I saw my dog beside me and there was blood shooting out from its face. It’s when I realized that it was a real bullet that hit him,” she said.

She alleges the officer then threatened to kill both dogs if she didn’t control them.

“He firmly told me [to] return the dogs inside or I will shoot them,” she said.

Geneviève Gariépy said she moved and left her job following the 2008 incident. (CBC)She alleges the officer pointed the gun in her direction as she led the animals to the house.

“I feared for my life.”

The dog survived, But Gariépy said she has been traumatized ever since, and the incident rattled her so much that she moved and left her job as a flight instructor.

The Sûreté du Québec and the City of Saint-Hippolyte, which is also named in the $300,000 lawsuit, refused interview requests.

The police officer involved was not sanctioned following the incident

About Liliana

Liliana Danel has lived in Mexico City, Texas – and Montreal for the past 8 years. She and her husband share their home with with a 4 year old rescued Jack Russell Terrier named Romeo (aka Nanners) and 3 adopted lionhead bunnies. When it comes to animal suffering and neglect, she is passionate about spreading the word. An avid Twitterer, reader and Hello Kitty collector – Liliana hopes to shine a light on animal topics that would otherwise not get told.

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