Sioux City Police Chief Doug Young says he understands why some people might consider the shooting of bull "inhumane and disturbing," but he says the officers who killed a Black Angus bull in a neighborhood Saturday night did the right thing. Young defended the officers’ actions at a press conference Wednesday.
"Officers did fire multiple times. All rounds were accounted for and struck vital areas of the animal," Young said. The officers shot the bull 15 times. "This was not random fire from all directions and it was done in a safe manner to subdue the animal in the most humane way," Young said.
Officers contained the bull in a park on the city’s west side and the sergeant in charge made the decision to kill the animal to protect people in the area. Officers do not carry tranquilizer guns and Young says using a taser gun would have amounted to "swatting" the 1,500 pound bull.
"It is not the desire of our police officers to use deadly force against any living thing. We are trained to treat all life with respect and compassion in the performance of our duties," Young said.
The officers learned on Sunday that the bull was owned by Dolf Ivener of Sioux City. Ivener said the bull escaped through an unlocked gate on his property.