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Posted: 5/10/2005 6:51:53 AM EDT
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On buffalo that is . . . This happened here in C Springs yesterday: Link to the full story with pic of officer with an AR slung across his back here: Gazette Story Buffaloes slain on west side Police kill 5 bison in 2nd escape from meatpacker By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE Five buffaloes escaped from a meatpacking plant Monday morning but discovered soon after that busy West Colorado Avenue was no place for them to roam. The buffaloes were shot and killed by police firing semiautomatic rifles after the animals charged at the officers. “They were large enough that . . . they could have done a considerable amount of damage, including possibly killing somebody,” said Colorado Springs police Lt. Larry Laxson. The animals, each about 5 years old and weighing 850 to 950 pounds, escaped from G&C Packing Co. on North 21st Street about 11:30 a.m. Company owner Frank Grindinger said they were being delivered from northeastern Colorado to be slaughtered when the truck driver lined up the trailer improperly with the chute, leaving a gap. The driver lowered the gate, and the five slipped away before he realized the error. They ran into a fenced-in yard at 1513 W. Colorado Ave. Police closed the street and evacuated two nearby homes. When one made a run for it, charging at the fence along West Colorado Avenue, police opened fire. It took many hits to bring the animal down. Laxson said the buffaloes took several shots in the head and “didn’t even flinch.” Police had decided that if any of the others came within 30 feet of them, the animals would be shot. Laxson said the other buffaloes eventually charged as well — one after another — and were killed. “It was not a good ending. We did whatever we could to try to capture the animals without killing them,” Laxson said. By the time the shooting stopped about 1:15 p.m., as many as 120 rounds had been fired, a few of which hit the empty houses and a nearby parked car. Laxson said police were unable to locate equipment to tranquilize the animals, and they doubted Tasers would puncture their thick hides. G&C employees tried to back a trailer up to the yard, but they couldn’t maneuver in the narrow alley. “We have an obligation to protect public life and property,” Laxson said. “We didn’t make the decision to kill them until it was absolutely necessary to do so.” The incident jarred many in the neighborhood. “I thought they went overboard, and I thought my life was in danger,” said Karl Remisch, who was visiting the house next door when the shooting started. “They just opened up and it sounded like World War II.” Michael Ericson, who lives at 1519 W. Colorado Ave., said, “That was animal cruelty, no matter how you look at it.” Across the street, resident Steve Boring said the buffaloes kept charging at police. “They handled it pretty good,” he said. “They didn’t have any options.” Resident Martha Muehl said: “It’s horrible, but it would have been even more sad if they had killed a person. I feel bad for them, but the people are the main concern.” It was the second time in 1½ years buffaloes escaped from G&C to cause havoc in the area. In December 2003, six got away — also when a driver incorrectly lined up a truck with the chute — and three were shot and killed. “The driver has expressed regret and responsibility, and it won’t happen again with this driver,” said Grindinger, the company’s owner. “We’re examining the option of building a containment fence around the place.” Laxson said police are also looking at better ways to deal with buffaloes, in case of a third escape. “If five of them would have charged at once, I’m not sure we would have had enough manpower to kill all of them,” he said. |
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.223 was never intended to be used against a Buffalo. They are five times larger than the average human and their resistance to shock is considerably higher. I doubt 7.62x39 would have done any better. Maybe if they were armed with M1A's or M14's they would have faired better,.....Maybe. |
Probably not, especially if they were targeting the heads of the buffalo. Buffalo have notoriously thick skulls and even a chest shot from a 12g slug would not have pentrated enough to get to a buffalo's heart or other vital organs. |
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Michael Ericson, who lives at 1519 W. Colorado Ave., said, “That was animal cruelty, no matter how you look at it.” Resident Martha Muehl said: “It’s horrible, but it would have been even more sad if they had killed a person. I feel bad for them, but the people are the main concern.” These two dumbasses are retarded. The animals were on their way to be killed anyway. |
now waiting on that mob with the pitchforks and torches. 
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Here's a follow-up. It amazes me that there's a public outcry over killing animals that were already headed to slaughter. May. 11, 2005 Kramer orders inquiry of killing of 5 buffaloes By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE City Manager Lorne Kramer on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the killing of five buffaloes by police after the animals escaped from a west-side slaughterhouse. The buffaloes were shot Monday in a front yard in the 1500 block of West Colorado Avenue. Three officers armed with semiautomatic rifles fired up to 120 rounds of .223-caliber bullets. Shots also were fired by a meat-packing plant employee armed with a rifle. Bullets struck nearby houses that had been evacuated and at least one parked car. “I think any time we have that level of force, particularly in a relatively congested area, we need to make sure we know all the precautions were taken,” Kramer said Tuesday. The buffaloes escaped from G&C Packing Co. about 11:30 a.m. as a truck was delivering them for slaughter. They wandered six blocks before stopping to graze in the fenced-in yard. Concerned about the 900-pound buffalo es- caping and injuring someone, police decided if they came within a certain distance, they would be shot, said Lt. Larry Laxson. The images of the buffaloes being hit by dozens of bullets before dropping were captured by television cameras and outraged some in the community. TV stations — particularly KOAA/Channels 5&30, which aired the most graphic images — heard from viewers. “I checked my voice mail, and there were enough messages to warrant an apology to people who were offended,” said KOAA news director Cindy Aubrey. Calls also poured in to police, some angry, some offering to provide better firepower next time buffaloes get loose. City Councilman Larry Small doesn’t want a next time. He asked for a police inquiry at a council meeting Tuesday, and other members agreed. It was the second escape of buffaloes from the plant since December 2003. “I wanted a report on how it was handled, and I wanted to know what we’re going to do with the packing house to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Small said. “I don’t want to have an annual buffalo shoot in Old Colorado City.” According to the packing house and police, the buffaloes escaped when the truck driver improperly lined up the trailer with the chute, creating a gap the animals rushed through. But Rob Lamb, transportation director for Booth and Sons Trucking in Lucerne, said the driver backed up the trailer properly and had unloaded the animals. He said he left a gap in the chute to walk out of, and the buffaloes were frightened by a G&C employee and ran through the gap. He questioned the need to shoot the buffaloes. “We’ve always been able to walk them back into the pen, that’s what we did,” Lamb said. Small doesn’t think police were at fault, though he wants to know why they didn’t have heavier weapons to kill them more efficiently. He also questioned why Colorado Division of Wildlife policy prohibited the agency from providing tranquilizers. Kramer expects the investigation to take about two weeks. Police have not charged anyone in connection with the animals’ escape. Gazette staffers Warren Epstein and Andrew Wineke contributed to this report. |
Sounds like the guys from co-ar15.com that I go shooting with 
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