The process begins at policeman who shot and killed the pit bull Rocky during an arrest in Naples in July 2019. The agent who shot the dog was sent to trial: in the first hearing held at the Court of Naples, the National League for the Defense of the Dog was also present, which filed a civil action. Next hearing on 11 May, again in the courtrooms of the Neapolitan court. “We will do whatever it takes to make sure this person pays for what they did,” explained the association president. Piera Rosati.
“Even today”, explained Rosati, “I wonder why shoot a second time to kill poor Rocky“. The story, which was also picked up by some residents overlooking the balconies of their homes with their cell phones, aroused the anger of animal welfare associations and many citizens. But others instead defended the policeman, claiming that he was forced to shoot because in danger, with the dog allegedly “incited” by the owner, which at that moment the agents were arresting, a tangled situation on which the judiciary is called upon to clarify.
It all happened on 12 July 2019 on via Cesare Rosaroll, in the historic center of Naples. Police officers were carrying out a check on a man, who was under house arrest, when the situation escalated: it is not clear if the dog had been “stirred up” by the man or if he reacted instinctively by seeing his owner in danger. What followed shortly after was instead immortalized by the images: one of the policemen opened fire, killing the dog and arousing the indignant reaction of associations and citizens. The medical reports then confirmed the version of the policemen, who had immediately supported the attack by the dog and the bite that one of them had received: but it was not enough to calm the controversy.
“Once the first shot has exploded and the dog is injured, why shoot the second time to kill it?”, Reiterated Piera Rosati, president of the National League for the Defense of the Dog, “Violence against animals becomes particularly unacceptable when it is committed by people in uniform and with a service pistol. These are people who should protect everyone’s life and, above all, they should be the first to respect the laws. this agent showed complete indifference to poor Rocky’s life, killed for no reason “, added Rosati.
Already in July 2020, when the indictment of the agent was decided, the police unions rose up: “Without prejudice to the love and respect we have for our 4-legged friends, the need to kill the animal was motivated by the need of the moment and it is acceptable, since the protection of a human being, a citizen or, as in this case, a police operator, is called self-defense “, he explained Roberto Massimo, Secretary General of the USIP-UIL union in Naples. The next hearing of the trial on 11 May.