Events in a small town can have a major impact, as evidenced by the resignation of Sturgeon, Missouri, Mayor Kevin Abrahamson following an uproar after the city defended the May 19 actions of a police officer who shot and killed a blind and deaf dog.
Seth Truesdell, who stepped in as temporary mayor, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that Officer Myron Woodson had been placed on leave and his actions “are not the values and beliefs of the residents of Sturgeon or the board of Alderman.”
Sturgeon, population 957, is where police received a call regarding a stray dog acting strangely, according to an earlier city post.
Woodson responded and reported the dog’s behavior to be similar to that of an animal with rabies.
Unaware that the dog, a shih tzu mix named Teddy, was deaf and blind, the officer “felt that his only option was to put the animal down,” the Facebook post said.
Bodycam video of Woodson attempting to capture the dog and then shooting him was shared by KMIZ-TV in Columbia.
WARNING: The following video contains images that some viewers may find disturbing.
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Was this shooting justified?
Yes: 20% (1 Votes)
No: 80% (4 Votes)
After shooting Teddy, Woodson was approached by one of his owners, Nick Hunter, and the two debated whether or not the shooting was justified.
After telling Woodson that the 13-pound animal was completely deaf and blind, in measured tones, Hunter said: “If a dog is a threat to a person or harms a person or shows an immediate threat, that’s when you use force. There is many other …”
“You want to talk? Or do you want to tell me how to do the job?” Woodson interrupted.
“You already did the job!” Hunter responded.
“I’m gonna have a talk with you,” the officer said.
“There’s no talking!” the dog’s owner said. “You already took care of it and you handled it very poorly!”
KOMU-TV in Columbia said Hunter showed a reporter a video of his interaction with Woodson.
“I don’t enjoy shooting dogs … I am sorry this happened,” the officer said in the video. He said the dog appeared sick.
“So you’re putting them [the dog] out of its misery?” Hunter asked.
“What am I supposed to do? We don’t have freaking animal control,” the officer replied, according to KOMU.
By May 23, the official position of the city was to support Woodson, according to its Facebook page.
However, the city did say, “In order to better equip officers for future animal at large call outs, the City will be sending all officers to Boone County Animal Control for training and education, in hopes that this unfortunate situation does not occur again.”
Days later, the city announced the mayor’s resignation and an online petition to fire Woodson had gained 36,000 signatures, according to KOMU.
Hundreds are signing a petition calling for the dismissal of a Sturgeon, Missouri, police officer who shot and killed Teddy, a blind, 13-pound dog.
According to a Facebook post by the Sturgeon Police Department, the officer thought the dog, who didn’t have a collar or tags, was… pic.twitter.com/XPnu6KsNB7
— Change.org (@Change) May 23, 2024
On Tuesday, Hunter filed a federal lawsuit claiming Woodson violated his Fourth Amendment rights, according to KOLR-TV in Springfield.
