YORK COUNTY, Pa.– A State Trooper has been found to be legally immune from a lawsuit that was filed against him after he shot and killed a family’s dog in 2014, fearing that it was preparing to attack him.
Trooper Jeremy Corrie was the subject of a suit that Jeffrey and Lindsey Bletz filed over the May 2014 death of their Rottweiler-Lab mix, Ace. The shooting occurred at the couple’s York County home.
At the time of the shooting, a team of law enforcement officers were executing a search warrant at the Bletz home in Lower Windsor Township. The dog had been let out to use the bathroom when Corrie encountered him.
According to Corrie’s testimony, the dog jumped toward him and snarled, leading the trooper to fire a shot from his revolver that missed the dog, but caused it to back away.
Then, Corrie claimed the dog began circling him in an “aggressive posture” and was snarling and showing its teeth. This led the trooper to believe the attack was imminent and fired twice more, hitting Ace with one bullet.
In the suit that was filed in 2016, the Bletzes claimed that Corrie violated their rights against unlawful search and seizure by killing the pet.
U.S. Middle District Judge Yvette Kane found that Corrie’s decision to shoot the dog didn’t violate the Bletz family’s civil rights.
She also noted that none of the family members were in position to see what had transpired between Corrie and the dog.