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Case Snapshot
Case ID: 14229
Classification: Shooting
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
More cases in Orange County, FL
More cases in FL
Animal was offleash or loose
Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior
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Attorneys/Judges
Prosecutor(s): Lawson Lamar, Erin DeYoung
Defense(s): Thomas Sommerville, Chandler Muller
Judge(s): Bob LeBlanc




Two dogs shot, caught on video
Orange, FL (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
County: Orange

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Dismissed

Person of Interest: Christopher Comins

Case Updates: 6 update(s) available

The Humane Society is urging the State Attorney's Office to prosecute a man who shot two dogs in front of their owner in Orange County. The incident was caught on tape.

Christopher Comins said the dogs were threatening a calf on a ranch near Narcoosee Road and the 417. That was in May.

Comins fired nine shots, continuing to fire after the dogs' owner showed up and even after the dogs were down.

Incredibly, both dogs survived.


Case Updates

A circuit judge on Wednesday cleared an Orange County man on trial for shooting two Siberian huskies in a cow pasture nearly three years ago.

The case against Christopher Comins drew widespread attention �" and outrage �"- when video of the shootings on May 19, 2008, appeared on YouTube.

However, after prosecutors finished presenting their case in court, Judge Bob LeBlanc ruled that the testimony had shown Comins was directed to fire on the huskies because they appeared to be attacking and threatening the cows.

LeBlanc said the testimony did not indicate that Comins had acted cruelly. He said it appeared that Comins was trying to "remove the dogs from the cattle."

"This was not someone who was torturing an animal," LeBlanc said in granting the defense team's request for a judgment of acquittal.

A jury had been listening to the case since Monday. LeBlanc's decision ended the trial before jurors heard any defense witnesses or had to deliberate on a verdict.

Many of Comins' supporters and friends in court applauded the decision and wondered aloud why the case had gotten as far as a trial.

Outside the courtroom, Comins gave a brief statement, saying he went to the pasture that night to help "defenseless, baby calves from invading predators that had been there for hours."

"I didn't go out there to shoot someone's house pets. Unfortunately, that's what happened," Comins said. "It's a very regretful situation. I'm glad both dogs are doing fine."

Comins was charged with two felony counts of animal cruelty with a firearm stemming from the incident, which occurred on private land near Lake Nona off Narcoossee Road.

Comins' attorneys Chandler Muller and Thomas Sommerville stuck with a central argument and line of questioning throughout the trial �" that state law considers the killing of a dog to be a "good defense" in such a case if the dog is in the process of killing livestock.

They maintained that the two dogs who were shot and wounded, Raley and Hoochie, were surrounding the cows and depriving them of water �" potentially stressing the cows to death.

Following LeBlanc's decision, Muller said, "This case has been a horrible, horrible burden on my client and I'm just very, very relieved. … I'm just thankful for our system."

Christopher Butler, the owner of the dogs, lived a few miles from the pasture at the time. He had let Raley and Hoochie off leash that day and the huskies took off, disappearing for hours.
Source: orlandosentinel.com - Jan 12, 2011
Update posted on Jan 13, 2011 - 7:01PM 
The video of a man shooting two Siberian huskies in an Orange County cow pasture went viral, gaining international attention, but that man's attorneys urged jurors hearing his criminal case Monday to look beyond what was recorded and consider the events leading up to the gunshots.

"That's just a snapshot of what happened that day," said defense attorney Thomas Sommerville, who represents Christopher Comins, the man charged with two felony counts of animal cruelty with a firearm in the May 19, 2008, incident.

Sommerville and fellow defense attorney Chandler Muller argued that the two huskies had escaped their owner, found cattle in the pasture and, as Sommerville put it Monday, were "in the process of killing these cattle." During that process, which they said spanned a few hours, the two dogs teamed up and took turns causing the animals stress and denying them access to water.

Sommerville said Comins "did what we believe is legal under the law," citing statutory language that states a legitimate defense for killing a dog is when that dog kills livestock.

But Assistant State Attorney Erin DeYoung said in her opening statement that "Christopher Comins shot those dogs over and over and over again. There's not a single injury to those cows."

She said Comins fired nine times. "The dogs were hit at least seven times," DeYoung added, arguing that the dogs had collars on and that Comins continued to fire even as onlookers shouted for him to stop and even as the dogs' owner came running, also calling for him to stop firing.

Comins has said he was given permission to shoot the dogs by the property owner and the livestock owner in order to protect a young calf.

The shooting in the pasture near Lake Nona on land owned by developer Daryl Carter made news worldwide after video of it was posted on YouTube. Carter asked Comins to kill the dogs after he learned cattle might be in jeopardy on his land off Narcoossee Road.

DeYoung is expected to show jurors the tourist-taken video that captured Comins shooting the dogs.

The dogs �" Raley and Hoochie �" survived the bullets. Raley was hit with four. Hoochie was struck with three and lost an eye.

One of the witnesses that day, Raigan Alianell, testified Monday that she was passing by the pasture when she and her then-boyfriend noticed the dogs. Alianell said she immediately recognized that the huskies did not belong in the field with the cows.

She said it looked as if the dogs were "dancing" around the cows. When asked by Muller if she knew whether this was predatory behavior, Alianell said she did not know.

She said the shooting started soon after they stopped near the scene. Asked by Muller if she saw either dog charge at Comins, Alianell said, "I saw him turn when he got shot in the shoulder, and then he got it in the face immediately after."

She described witnesses on the scene "screaming, 'Stop! Stop! Stop him!'"

When asked by DeYoung if she thought the dogs should have been shot, Alianell said, "Absolutely not."

The trial resumes at 9:30 a.m. today in front of Orange Circuit Judge Bob LeBlanc.
Source: orlandosentinel.com - Jan 10, 2011
Update posted on Jan 10, 2011 - 9:57PM 
A new court date has been set for June 26, 2009, at the Orange County Circuit Court located at:

425 North Orange Ave.
Orlando, FL 32801
407-836-2056

Christopher Comins allegedly shot two Siberian husky dogs who had come onto a property where he was walking in May 2008.
Source: Case #08-CF-0017830-O
Update posted on Jun 24, 2009 - 3:55PM 
A man accused of repeatedly shooting two husky dogs in Orlando now faces two counts of felony animal cruelty.

Christopher Comins had faced misdemeanors, but those charges were just upgraded.

Comins was videotaped shooting the dogs off Narcoossee Road in May. Both dogs survived after emergency care, but one lost an eye.

Comins' trial is set for March 16.
Source: wftv.com - Jan 9, 2009
Update posted on Feb 19, 2009 - 5:52PM 
A man who admits he shot two dogs is being charged with a misdemeanor animal cruelty. Last month Christopher Comins opened fire on two dogs that wandered onto a friend's property. The dogs were chasing cows as a crowd of people gathered to watch.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office released the final report, Monday. Comins reportedly told investigators that the owner of the property told him to shoot the dogs, because he thought they were threatening the cattle.

"Guns and emotions are not a good mix, you know, and he seems to be trigger happy. I don't know anyone that would do something like this," said Chris Butler, the owner of the dogs.

Butler said he's surprised Comins is being charged. He said he thought Comins might walk away without any consequences. Butler also feels Comins should be charged with a felony and no longer allowed to own guns.

FOX 35 was unsuccessful in attempts to contact Christopher Comins at his home and on the phone.

Butler's Siberian Huskies are still recovering from being shot a total of six times. One dog is nearly fully recovered but the other will need additional treatment to heal a wounded leg. That dog also lost an eye, but Butler hopes it will at least be able to walk without a limp.
Source: MyFox Orlando - July 28, 2008
Update posted on Jul 28, 2008 - 10:22PM 
Late Monday afternoon, Orange County investigators said a man could face charges for shooting two dogs, but it'll only be a misdemeanor charge. Investigators said Christopher Comins had a right to shoot the dogs, but he did it after the owner tried to stop him and that is what led to the possible charge.

The incident was caught on video that was posted on YouTube and caused outrage. Comins fired nine shots at the dogs with six bullets hitting the animals. They survived.

Comins said he was shooting at the dogs because they were going after a calf. As a result, he could now face a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, but the State Attorney's Office will decide if actually gets charged.

Investigators said they can only file a misdemeanor charge because a felony charge is related to an intentional action to cause animal cruelty, whereas a misdemeanor means it was only an unnecessary action to continue firing shots.
Source: WFTV - July 28, 2008
Update posted on Jul 28, 2008 - 9:50PM 

References

  • « FL State Animal Cruelty Map
    « More cases in Orange County, FL

    Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

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