911 fiasco
Cop shoots caller and partner
San Francisco Examiner
SAN FRANCISCO - Two dogs seized after a bizarre police shooting have received a reprieve from death row.
The Police Department said it would not seek a vicious-dog hearing on the canines, which were taken into custody after one of them bit police Officer Jennifer Dorantes on March 2. Her partner, rookie Officer Julian Ng, then opened fire, missing the dog but wounding Dorantes and dog owner Max Castro, 11.
The incident has been a major embarrassment for police because Max called officers to the family home minutes earlier. Police Chief Fred Lau and other top brass have personally apologized to Max and his family. But at the request of officers at the scene, both dogs were impounded for several days by the Animal Control Department.
``We decided that this little boy has already been through enough,'' said Assistant Chief Earl Sanders. ``We decided that it would be better not to try to do anything with the animals. It's just an unfortunate accident. We are trying to show some compassion for this family.''
Dorantes was bitten in the buttocks by Sidney, an Old English sheep dog. Castro's other dog, an Akita-Germanshepherd mix named Nicco, was also seized by authorities even though that animal was not involved in the attack.
``The dog was just trying to do its job; we were just trying to do our job,'' Sanders said. ``Somehow, things got tangled up in a very tragic way.''
The incident began when officers arrived at the family's home around 6 p.m. March 2 after receiving a 911 call from Max. The boy said that he was home alone and had received a threatening phone call. When the two officers entered thehome, Dorantes was attacked by Nicco. Ng, only two months out of training, drew his gun and fired, missing the dog but wounding his partner and the boy.