Ohio
#JusticeForDixie petition gets whopping 27,000 signatures as community wants Ohio dog killer cop suspended
Communities have come together to seek justice for a dog who was senselessly shot dead by an Ohio police officer in front of the pooch’s horrified family. Dixie was a three-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever and Labrador mix. He was shot dead by Lorain Police Department cop Elliott Palmer.
A petition demanding Elliott’s removal from the force has now gone viral, and has garnered over 27,000 signatures already. Meanwhile, a peaceful rally was held for the beloved dog at the Lorain Police Station on 200 West Erie Avenue. The rally was held in support of Dixie’s family to get Elliott removed from the Lorain Police Department.
The petition reads, “The citizens of the City of Lorain are calling for the immediate removal of duty of Officer Elliot Palmer for the shooting death of a family’s pet dog named Dixie. The officer carelessly shot the dog after calling for the dog to come to him, the dog was coming wagging her tail only to be shot, then after the dog trying to get up he shot her an additional three times. The dog was not aggressive nor was she doing anything to warrant such a horrendous act of violence. This is not the type of policing our city needs nor wants. We demand answers and resolution and justice for Dixie and her family.”
While cops said the dog charged at the officer, Dixie’s family maintains that he was absolutely harmless and posed no threat. “When he shot her the first time, she dropped, she was trying to crawl to me and my daughter for help and he continued shooting her,” said Tammie Kerns, the owner of the dog, according to Fox 8.
Tammie Kerns’ daughter Brittany Kaspirek said, “I just want to make sure that this does not ever happen to another family, he used beyond excessive force, one shot would have been totally feasible, he could have used a taser, as close as he was.”
Police said in a statement, in part, “While all the facts are not yet known, the investigation has been assigned to the Lorain Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards… Chief McCann is also working with several outside expert consultants who will be assisting with and reviewing the facts of this case.”