Your Government Shot a Tail-Wagging Puppy and the Jury Said So — Then Let the Cop Walk Anyway

On the evening of April 10, 2021, New Orleans Police Officer Derrick Burmaster and his partner entered the gated yard of Derek Brown and Julia Barecki-Brown responding to a noise complaint. Burmaster made what he described as "kissy noises" to check for dogs and decided the yard was clear. It was not. Two dogs came down the stairs — a larger adult dog that barked and moved toward Burmaster's partner, who sensibly stepped out of the yard, and Apollo, a 16-week-old, 22-pound Catahoula Leopard rescue puppy who ran toward Burmaster wagging his tail. Burmaster, who later told investigators he feared the puppy would bite him in the genitals, fired three shots at Apollo with one hand while covering his crotch with the other. He struck the puppy in the neck and chest. Apollo's owner ran outside and held his dog in his arms as he died. What followed was four years of institutional cover and legal maneuvering that laid bare exactly how the system protects its own. Three separate internal investigations found the shooting unjustified and in violation of department policy. The Use of Force Review Board ruled unanimously against Burmaster. His own colleagues stated Apollo posed no threat and that Burmaster never considered alternatives — a kick, a Taser, stepping back — before opening fire. Court records revealed this was not his first time fatally shooting a dog. Department leadership then overrode all of it in the final internal review step and cleared him of wrongdoing entirely. A federal jury in June 2025 heard all of it, reviewed all of it, and concluded that yes, Burmaster had violated the constitutional rights of Apollo's owners and violated state negligence and property laws — and then awarded the couple $10,000 for emotional distress and $400 for Apollo's market value as a rescue dog, while granting Burmaster full immunity from personal liability because he was acting in his capacity as a government employee. Apollo's owners were also found partially liable for their own puppy's death.

PHOTO COURTESY DEREK BROWN

Commentary: A jury looked at every piece of evidence, concluded a police officer illegally killed a tail-wagging puppy while shielding his own genitals, and the punishment was $400 — the assessed market value of a living creature that a family described as the love of their lives. The officer faces no personal consequences whatsoever. This is not a broken system. This is the system working exactly as it was designed to work.

📰 https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2025-06-12/jury-finds-new-orleans-police-officer-who-shot-and-killed-puppy-violated-rights-but-has-immunity

⚠️ This content was researched and written with AI assistance and may be fully AI-generated. All facts are sourced from the linked AP/US News article and corroborating reporting from The Washington Times, Insurance Journal, and court records.

Your Government Murdered a Blind, Deaf Dog

 On May 19, 2024, a 13-pound blind and deaf Shih Tzu named Teddy wandered out of his yard in Sturgeon, Missouri and into a neighbor's yard. A neighbor called police — not to report a dangerous animal, but because the little dog appeared lost and confused. Officer Myron Woodson arrived, attempted to lasso Teddy with a catch pole, and when the dog simply shook the rope off his head and trotted away, Woodson shot and killed him. Body camera footage obtained by local news showed Teddy never growled, never barked, and never made any aggressive move toward the officer. The city of Sturgeon went on Facebook the next day and defended the shooting, claiming the officer feared rabies because of the dog's erratic behavior — behavior that was, in fact, the entirely predictable result of being a blind and deaf elderly dog in an unfamiliar yard. The city never mentioned that Sturgeon had a catch pole policy precisely for situations like this, that the officer had been given zero training on how to use it, and that the city had a contract with Boone County for animal control assistance that was never called upon. Nicholas Hunter, Teddy's owner, filed a federal lawsuit alleging Fourth Amendment violations. In January 2026, the City of Sturgeon agreed to pay $500,000 to settle — one of the largest settlements ever recorded for the police killing of a pet.

Commentary: The officer was so afraid of a blind, deaf, 13-pound dog that his only option was to shoot it — and the city's first instinct was to get on Facebook and tell everyone it was basically the dog's fault for not having a collar. To their credit, they eventually paid half a million dollars to make it go away, which is the government's way of admitting wrongdoing without technically admitting wrongdoing.

📰 https://reason.com/2025/11/17/missouri-town-will-pay-500k-to-settle-lawsuit-over-deputy-shooting-blind-and-deaf-dog/

⚠️ This content was researched and written with AI assistance and may be fully AI-generated. All facts are sourced from the linked article and corroborating reporting from the Animal Legal Defense Fund and ABC 17.