Danville fires officer who shot, killed miniature dachshund

The Danville Police Department fired Officer Murrill McLean and will discipline some of his supervisors for their actions after McLean shot and killed a miniature dachshund named Killer on June 8, according to a Friday news release from Police Chief Philip Broadfoot.

“This entire matter has been an embarrassment to the Danville Police Department, the City of Danville and to me personally,” Broadfoot said.

McLean’s firing is an abrupt reversal of the stance the department took on the shooting. Broadfoot defended his officer’s actions and said he acted within the department’s policy during two news conferences in June.

“The fact of the matter is that the dog was running loose, that it placed officer McLean in a precarious situation, and that officer McLean made a judgment decision in a fraction of a second that cannot be reversed,” Broadfoot said during a June 11 news conference. “I’m not expressing regret over the decision.”

He also talked about Danville’s leash law, which requires pets to be leashed when off their property. Killer was not on his owner’s property at the time of the shooting.

Broadfoot called another news conference on June 15 after the community’s negative response surprised him, he said. He stood next to Paulette Dean, the executive director of the Danville Area Humane Society, who also spoke and took questions.

Dean said Killer almost bit her several years ago when she tried to rescue abandoned kittens on the 100 block of Berman Drive, where the dog and its family lived. She said that the shooting of Killer was not justified, though, and that other methods should have been used.

Broadfoot apologized for the dog’s death that day, saying that the shooting was upsetting to the department and the community. But he still supported his officer’s decision-making process.

On June 16, Danville City Councilman Adam Tomer harshly criticized the department’s response to the shooting.

“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 during the city council meeting.

Nothing more developed until Friday’s news release.

The police chief looked into the matter more thoroughly after hearing about bloodstain evidence that was not included in the police investigation. He ordered an internal affairs investigation after re-interviewing McLean in person on June 24 and visiting the scene.

“My observations immediately raised questions in my mind about how the shooting actually occurred,” Broadfoot said.

The investigation determined that McLean’s reports of the shooting were “misleading and factually inaccurate,” according to the news release.

“A proper investigation would have shown that where Officer McLean was standing during the attack would have provided him the time, distance and means necessary to consider other options before using his firearm,” Broadfoot said.

Internal affairs also found that several supervisors violated department policy during the initial investigation.

“As a result of the investigation, Officer McLean has been terminated from employment and disciplinary proceedings have been initiated with the supervisors for violating department policy,” Broadfoot said.

The owner of the dog, Tawaiin Harper, said he hates seeing someone lose their job, but he supports the department’s decision.

“I think they acted on the situation to try to calm the neighborhood down and the community,” he said Friday.

After the second news conference, Harper said he thought the police hadn’t done a thorough investigation, and he asked Broadfoot to re-investigate the shooting.

“I’m a little more satisfied with the investigation they did this time,” he said.

Harper said he hasn’t talked to a lawyer and is waiting to see what else happens before he does. The family isn’t planning on getting another dog.

“A person being fired still has chances in life to pursue another job or another career,” he said. “When you take the breath out of somebody, there’s no more chances.”

Tomer, the city councilman, said he’s pleased with the results of the new investigation.

“I have respect and admiration for how Chief Broadfoot admitted the department made a mistake, and how he took corrective action with regards to the event,” Tomer said. “I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for those involved.”

On June 8, McLean went to the 100 block of Berman Drive to serve warrants at about 8:50 p.m., according to a June 10 release from the Danville Police Department. The 11-year-old miniature dachshund owned by the neighbors next door approached the officer from behind and lunged at McLean, who fired one shot that hit and killed the dachshund.