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| Codi |
By Davy V.
Updated Tuesday January 18, 2013 9:17 pm
Steven Jodoin Benus says he must have covered 100 miles over the last couple of days looking for his best friend Codi, a 1 1/2 year old pit bull terrier.
On Monday January 7th, when Steven took his friend home after they had gone ice fishing, Codi got out and wandered off.
Steven barely got any sleep looking for his beloved dog that night.
After posting an ad in the lost and found section of Craigslist, Steven and Ranger, Codi's brother, searched everywhere near near his Greenleaf Rd. home in Greece, NY.
They looked through fields, streets, a golf club and the Greece, NY animal control.
Nothing.
The next day, Tuesday, with just a few hours of sleep, Steven was up at 4 am, continuing to look for Codi.
Steven then went to Rochester Animal Control on Verona Street near downtown.
An employee walked him back to the cages housing dogs, most of them pit bulls.
But no sign of Codi.
Before leaving, Steven filled out some forms describing what Codi looked like.
Wednesday morning, Steven got a call from a woman who had seen the Craigslist ad.
The woman told Steven that on her way to work Tuesday, she had seen Codi near Abbott's ice cream on Lake Ave. near Lake Ontario.
Steven raced there, but once again, disappointment set in as there was no sign of Codi.
Then, Steven went back to Rochester animal control on Verona St. to see if Codi may have turned up.
It was then that Steven learned what had happened to his best friend.
An employee who overheard Steven describing Codi, pulled Steven aside and told him that Codi had been shot and killed by Rochester Police near the Lake Ontario pier.
Steven broke down.
Too distraught to see his best friend, Steven's mom later went to Verona St. and identified Codi.
"My mom said he had a bullet hole behind his shoulder, that was a kill shot. He was my best friend." Steven told me as we sat down at Tom Horton's in Greece, his eyes watering.
He told me about how he and Codi met.
Codi was just 5 months old when Steven rescued him from a home near his job on Rochester's northeast side.
"I actually saw Codi being born, then as he grew I realized he wasn't being taken care of. His collar was gouging his skin, he was dirty, he had fleas and worms when I got him." said Steven.
Then Steven told me something about the first time he had gone to Rochester animal control to look for Codi, when he was taken back to see all the dogs.
"They were all barking and their ears were cropped, they had the big collars on, and looking at them you could just tell that they had a rough life." he said.
And as I sat there with Steven I realized just how much he loved his best friend.
I also couldn't help but think how ironic it was that Steven had rescued Codi, a beautiful dog, so he wouldn't end up like those dogs Steven saw in those cages, only for some trigger-happy Rochester Police officer to shoot him before Steven could find his best friend.
UPDATE:
Rochester, NY Police officer Chris Burgstrom Shot Codi with a Shotgun just minutes after running him over with his Patrol Car.
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| Rochester, NY Police officer Chris Burgstrom |
On Monday January 7th, Steven Jodoin-Nebus's dog Codi, whom he had rescued from a bad home when he was just 5 months old, wandered off after someone accidentally opened a home's door.
After spending countless hours looking for his beloved pet, including posting ads in the lost and found section of Craigslist, Steven learned that his best friend had been shot and killed by a Rochester, NY Police officer.
Perhaps more disturbing than the fact that Codi was executed by a trigger-happy Rochester, NY Police officer, is what the report says.
Codi was executed by Rochester, NY Police officer Chris Burgstrom with a Remington shotgun.
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| Rochester, NY Police Chief James Sheppard (585) 428-7033 |
Officer Burgstrom executed Codi, shooting him in the head, after hitting the dog with his police cruiser.
At first, while reading the report I thought that the dog may have been shot to be put out of his misery due to being hit by the patrol car, but no, as I continued reading the report, it got harder and harder to believe the RPD's story, as the report states that after Burgstrom hit the dog with his car, the dog then tried to attack people on the Charlotte pier at Lake Ontario.
Here is the RPD report's addendum:
ON DUTY UNIFORMED OFFICERS MARONE AND C. BURGSTROM RESPONDED TO THE AREA OF 1 BEACH AV FOR THE REPORT OF A LOOSE PIT BULL. ANIMAL CONTROL DID NOT INITIALLY RESPOND AS THEIR UNITS WERE TIED UP ON A HOUSE FIRE CALL. BURGSTROM AND MARONE LOCATED THE PIT BULL IN THE AREA OF BEACH AV/ALPHA ST. OFFICER MARONE ATTEMPTED TO APPROACH THE DOG. IT BECAME AGGRESSIVE AND CHARGED AT OFFICER MARONE FORCING HIM TO JUMP ONTO THE ROOF OF HIS PATROL CAR TO AVOID AN ATTACK. THE DOG THEN RAN OFF. A FEW MINUTES LATER OFC. BURGSTROM WAS DRIVING WESTBOUND ON BEACH AVE AT ESTES ST. WHEN THE DOG RAN IN FRONT OF HIS PATROL CAR (W-47). HE DID NOT HAVE TIME TO STOP AND STRUCK THE DOG WITH THE FRONT OF THE CAR. (SEE CR#13-00682 FOR THE FLEET MVA). THE DOG WAS NOW INJURED AND RAN INTO ONTARIO STATE PARK. ANIMAL CONTROL DID ARRIVE ON SCENE AT APPROXIMATELY 0918HRS. ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER RONALD LODAR, AND OFFICERS BURGSTROM AND MARONE ATTEMPTED FOR 20 MINUTES TO CAPTURE THE DOG DURING WHICH TIME THE DOG RAN ONTO THE PIER, CHASING 2 UNKNOWN PEDESTRIANS FROM THE PIER. AFTER MULTIPLE UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS AT CAPTURING THE DOG, IT CORNERED ITSELF ON THE BEACH AT THE WATER NEXT TO THE PIER. AS BURGSTROM AND MARONE APPROACHED WITH ANIMAL CONTROL, THE DOG STARTED TO CHARGE TOWARDS OFFICER BURGSTROM. BURGSTROM, FACING NORTH, FIRED 1 ROUND OF SLUG FROM RPD AUTHORIZED REMINGTON 870 12 GAUGE SHOTGUN (SERIAL # C703600M), STRIKING THE DOG IN THE HEAD AT APPROXIMATELY 0920 HOURS. THE SHOT KILLED THE DOG. OFFICER BURGSTROM HAD A SAFE BACKDROP WHICH WAS LAKE ONTARIO. OFFICERS MADE SURE THAT THE PIER WAS CLEAR OF PEDESTRIANS PRIOR TO USING DEADLY PHYSICAL FORCE.
Rochester, NY Police Report and Addendum. Lies and Cover-up.
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| Charlotte Pier, Lake Ontario where Codi was executed by RPD officer Chris Burgstrom |
For example, the fact that not one, but two Rochester Police officers respond to a call for a loose dog at 0818 hours, which is 8:18 am, then they spend over an hour of taxpayer money, stalking, hunting down, running over, then executing a defenseless dog which was clearly retreating and running scared at 0920 hours, or 9:20 am.
Also disturbing is the fact that despite there being a trained animal control officer who, as the report states, accompanied the RPD officers onto the pier, the officers DID NOT allow the animal control officer to do as he is trained to do, and take control of the injured animal.
But perhaps the most disturbing and clear sign that Rochester, NY Police officer Chris Burgstrom INTENDED and WANTED to kill Codi, is the fact that officer Burgstrom exited his police cruiser with his Remington shotgun.
Had officer Burgstrom shot Codi with his Beretta PX4 Storm pistol, then perhaps the RPD could have made a better case for self defense which is after all, what they are claiming.
But the fact that officer Burgstrom made sure to grab his shotgun from his cruiser before exiting the vehicle, and walking onto that pier, is as clear an indicator as one could ask for to show his intentions.
To kill an innocent, scared, injured dog.
Meanwhile, Steven is getting a run-around from Rochester, NY Animal Control Services who are refusing to release Codi's remains.
UPDATED Monday January 14, 2013 2:45 pm
By Davy V.
On Monday morning, Steven Jodoin Benus and his mom Denys went to Rochester, NY animal control hoping to finally retrieve their beloved dog Codi's remains.
Once again they Rochester animal control officials, stating that they are under direct orders from Rochester, NY Police Chief James Sheppard, refused to release the remains.
On Monday January 7th, Steven Jodoin-Nebus's dog Codi, whom he had rescued from a bad home when he was just 5 months old, wandered off after someone accidentally opened a home's door.
After spending countless hours looking for his beloved pet, including posting ads in the lost and found section of Craigslist, Steven learned that his best friend had been shot and killed by a Rochester, NY Police officer.
Perhaps more disturbing than the fact that Codi was executed by a trigger-happy Rochester, NY Police officer, is what the report says.
Codi was executed by Rochester, NY Police officer Chris Burgstrom with a Remington shotgun.
Officer Burgstrom executed Codi, shooting him in the head, after hitting the dog with his police cruiser.
Codi's owner Steven has asked for his remains several times.
He has received nothing but a run-around.
Several animal services employees have stated to Steven that a "decision" has not been made yet.
Monday morning, Tom Shannon, of Rochester animal control would only say that he has been ordered not to release Codi's remains.
Codi's owner, Steven said that he would have a necropsy done on Codi to determine the manner in which Codi was shot .
And that's when the Rochester, NY Police Chief James Sheppard instructed Rochester animal services not to release Codi's remains.
Perhaps worried about what a necropsy would show, when it comes to how Codi was shot, Chief Sheppard seems to have found a loophole which would help his department and animal services not have to release the remains of a dog executed by Rochester, NY Police officer Chris Burgstrom.
Ownership.
Codi was just 5 months old when Steven rescued him from a home near his job on Rochester's northeast side.
"I actually saw Codi being born, then as he grew I realized he wasn't being taken care of. His collar was gouging his skin, he was dirty, he had fleas and worms when I got him." said Steven.
Unfortunately, in the year since Steven has had Codi, he never registered him.
And that's what RPD Chief James Sheppard is using against Codi's owner in order to avoid having to release his remains.
The fact that they say Steven can't prove that he is Codi's owner.
How convenient for the Rochester, NY Police department.
So as it stands now, a man who rescued a dog from a bad home, and gave him a better life, only to have his dog executed by a trigger happy cop, now faces his dog being cremated all because the Rochester, NY Police department doesn't want Codi's remains released.
What are they hiding?
Perhaps that Codi was retreating when he was shot?
Update:
Finally, Monday evening, Rochester animal control services director Chris Fitzgerald called Steven and told him he could come get his dog first thing in the morning.
Fitzgerald told Steven that he was the first, and only person to inquire about Codi and even identified the collar Codi had on.
So, exactly one week after an innocent family pet is executed by trigger-happy Rochester, NY Police officer Chris Burgstrom, his owner will finally be able to put him to rest.
WARNING: The photos below are very graphic in nature. They show Codi, an innocent, scared, lost pet which was executed by Rochester, NY Police officer Chris Burgstrom.
Steven Jodoin Benus, Codi's owner, wanted the public to see what officer Burgstrom did to his best friend.
This is why Rochester, NY Police Chief James Sheppard did not want Codi's remains released.
ROCHESTER, NY POLICE CHIEF JAMES SHEPPARD: (585) 428-7033
ROCHESTER, NY MAYOR THOMAS RICHARDS: (585) 428-7045
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| Photo showing entrance wound in the back of Codi's head. Photo by Davy V. |
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| Photo showing exit wound in the front of Codi's head. Photo by Davy V. |
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