Police Shoot Innocent Family Dog, Threaten Charges If Witnesses File Report

I was shocked, infuriated, heart-broken, and in utter disbelief when I heard this story out of Center Line.  Examiner.com is reporting that police shot and killed an innocent family dog, leaving her still-nursing puppies to fend for themselves. To top it off, police threatened the owner and several witnesses of the murder with multiple felony charges if they attempted to file a report.

I know many law enforcement officers in Genesee County, and all of them are great well-trained officers.  None of them would shoot anyone or anything for no reason whatsoever.  And, if for some reason they screwed up, they wouldn't threaten witnesses to save themselves.  Apparently, this is not the case at the Center Line Police Department.

This all took place on June 4th when Diamond, Liz Urban's pit bull, got out the back door and went around to the front of the house.  A witness called police because they thought the dog may need help.  The dog was laying in the front yard waiting for Liz to return from dropping of a few of her puppies to their new homes when police arrived.  That's right, Diamond was a mother who was still nursing her young until she was murdered by police.

Diamond didn't approach or bark at police when they arrived.  In fact, she didn't move and was bothering no one.  A shot was fired and Diamond let out a yelp, then began to whimper.  Police fired four more shots that ended Diamond's life at her own home.

Several witnesses saw the whole thing happen in front of them, but they are afraid to file a report because of threats made by Center Line police.

A friend of Liz was at the home when police returned, and refused to talk to the owner who was on the phone with her friend.  Police said that if they attempted to file charges against them, she would be smacked with five felonies and a minimum of 30 days in jail.  However, policed then said if they claim that they don't know the dog and that she was a stray, they would have no problems.

If you were one of the five witnesses, would you report the officers responsible, risking unjustified charges and harassment from the police?  Or would you be silent or claim that Diamond was a stray?  Leave your comments below.