Remember when a freak with a gun Fort Worth deputy police chief Kenneth Flynn was charged with animal cruelty after chasing down an owned, lost dog called Bentley with his SUV and shooting him in the street? A grand jury failed to indict Flynn, who retired after the killing:
Under the Texas Health and Safety Code, a dog or coyote that has recently attacked a domestic animal may be killed by any person witnessing the attack or by the attacked animal’s owner if that owner had knowledge of the attack.
Welcome to Vagueville, home of gun nuts and regular people trying to live with their pets – and never the twain shall meet.
But yeah, that “knowledge of the attack” thing? A bit sketchy:
Flynn initially denied any involvement but later admitted to investigators that he shot at the dog with his city-issued .45-caliber Glock 30 after learning in a phone call from his sobbing wife that their cat was dead and being told by a neighbor that a German shepherd had been standing over the dead cat.
Denied any involvement. A hallmark of justified police actions – because when you know what you did is righteous, lie. And apparently no one saw any animal kill the cat. But a neighbor saw a German shepherd checking out the dead cat – a normal response from any dog – and she told someone who told someone who had a Glock. The perfect beginning to any story.
The Fort Worth police department meanwhile continues to investigate itself in the matter of the three responding officers who failed to file any report on the shooting. That too is more than a little dodgy:
When questioned by the officer, Flynn identified himself as a deputy chief with the department. Asked if he had shot at any dogs, Flynn “said he was not involved,” the affidavit states.
Two of the officers visually inspected Flynn’s city-issued SUV while the third officer chatted with Flynn and asked if the officers needed to “look further.”
“No, you’re good. You don’t need to keep looking,” Flynn responded, the affidavit states.
Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. No need to file a report. But I’m sure the Fort Worth PD is doing a bang-up job on the investigation.
Flynn’s lawyer applauds the no-bill from the grand jury but laments that his client decided to retire a few months earlier than originally planned due to his arrest – which the lawyer says was all just a bunch of political BS. Right. Because seeking a grand jury indictment on police officers when it’s obvious they’re going to get no-billed is totally the hottest thing right now. Every politician wants one. If nothing else, for the good will and feeling of trust it engenders within the community.
I hope Flynn takes up some other hobbies in retirement besides playing the Glock version of the telephone game.
Bentley’s owner, who only wants to be identified by his first name for fear of retaliation by the public servants he pays to protect him, still mourns the loss of his pet:
Bryan said he keeps Bentley’s cremated remains in a hallway of his home. He said the circumstances behind the dog’s death —and whether anything would happen to the former deputy chief — had weighed heavily on him.
So uh, yay – one less thing to worry about. Thanks Fort Worth!
(Thank you Clarice for the link.)