Opinion ID: 2737114
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Shanley’s Account of the Dog Bite

Text: The jury heard a different version of events from defendants Shanley and Lovett. After arriving on the scene, Shanley and Lovett entered the woods with Rosco on a twelve-foot leash. Shanley twice shouted out that he was with a police dog who would bite Edwards if he did not come out with his hands in the air. Shanley spotted Edwards on the ground, with his hands tucked under his torso, and said “police K9, show me your hands.” Edwards did not comply and so, when Rosco was eight feet from Edwards, Shanley dropped the twelve-foot leash and 4 Case: 13-14393 Date Filed: 09/25/2014 Page: 5 of 25 gave Rosco the command to bite Edwards. At this time, Lovett was approximately ten feet behind Shanley. 2 When Rosco bit Edwards, Shanley approached Edwards, verbally commanded Edwards to place his hands behind his back, and handcuffed Edwards. Shanley took the leash off of Rosco’s harness, transferred the leash to the dog’s collar, and gave the release command, ending the bite. According to Shanley, it took him between “15 and 20 seconds” to handcuff Edwards and have Rosco release the bite. Shanley made the decision to have Rosco continue biting Edwards until he was handcuffed because he posed a possible threat, as he had fled from his vehicle, ran from an officer, jumped a fence, and hid in a wooded area. Further, during the bite, Edwards was struggling with Rosco and therefore actively avoiding arrest. Shanley believed that he was at an “extreme tactical disadvantage” and that there was a threat of ambush to him, his dog, and the other officer. Lovett believed that Edwards punched Rosco during the attack. Shanley did not recall these details. Lovett estimated that the whole incident lasted “10 seconds, 15 seconds.”