Richmond, VA

Richmond, VA: (May-31-07) Cynthia Peters and her boyfriend, Mark Parr, filed suit against the city of Richmond after a July 27, 2005 police shootout killed their dog, Blu. The suit claimed that two officers from the department's now-defunct Violence Suppression Unit shot Blu a total of 12 times after opening a gate on the side of an apartment building. The officers had chased a man suspected of dealing drugs into the building and were taking positions around it. Police said the dog leapt out and attacked when the officers opened the gate. Peters and Parr say they had asked before the officers opened the gate whether they needed to put their dog inside. They also say that Blu did not attack when he emerged on to the sidewalk, but instead hopped about excitedly. Peters and her boyfriend sued in federal court last year, saying the officers had insufficient reason to shoot, and the department did little to investigate their complaint afterward. In a settlement reached, the Richmond City Council formally agreed to pay three plaintiffs and their attorneys $225,000 to settle their complaints about the shooting. The settlement included $210,000 for Peters and Parr, and $15,000 for a woman injured when a shell casing ejected from an officer's weapon struck her neck. [CONTRA COSTA TIMES: DOG SHOOTING]

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Published on Jun-1-07