Dog shooting by deputy not his first: He claims self-defense in border-collie-mix killing
Update, 7:14 a.m. January 17: Yesterday, we told you about the death of Ziggy, a dog killed by an Adams County deputy after he and fellow officers responded to an alarm at the wrong address; see previous coverage below. Now, information is emerging about the man who pulled the trigger, identified as Wilfred A. Europe III. Turns out he killed a man in a traffic stop last year -- an act for which he was cleared of wrongdoing -- and has several minor dog violations on his record.
The scoop was scored by CBS4's Brian Maass, who notes that in February 2012, Europe shot and killed Don Cambron, forty, after the latter was seen reaching for a weapon after being pulled over.
The weapon in question was later discovered to be a pellet gun, but a critical incident team investigating the incident determined that Europe's actions were justified, and the district attorney declined to file any criminal charges against him.
Don Cambron.
CBS4 also points out that in 2003 and 2004, Europe was cited for several dog-related violations. A count related to having an unlicensed animal was eventually dismissed, but he was found guilty of disobeying a leash law.
Hard to miss the irony of the latter given what took place on Monday night. According to Jennifer Edwards, an attorney for the Animal Law Center, Jeff Fisher, who runs a commercial-door business, was working late when Adams County deputies appeared on his property, guns drawn. As they ordered Fisher to the floor, Ziggy, an eight-year-old blue heeler/border collie, zipped out the open door. Fisher called to the dog, and he believed the animal was returning when a deputy outside, identified by multiple sources cited by CBS4 as Europe, shot him three times. He died as a result of his wounds.
At this point, Adams County representatives have said an investigation into the shooting is ongoing but are otherwise declining to comment about the case -- and Europe didn't respond to interview requests from CBS4. However, the station found a photo on his Facebook page of a sign promising that trespassers will be shot, and survivors will be shot again. Here's that image.
Look below to see the CBS4 report, followed by our previous coverage.
Continue for our previous coverage of the incidents that led to Ziggy's death.
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