Readers of this blog may recall the Lake Nona-area dog-shooting fiasco. On May 19th, a wealthy business elite by the name of Christopher M. Comins fired nine shots at a pair of Siberian huskies in a field in central Florida.
For a brief time, it seemed likely that this man’s violent act would go unpunished. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office initially concluded that Comins’ behavior was legit and legal. The wounded huskies had been bothering cattle; the cows appeared concerned for their calves.
The predator Chris Comins has a prior record of violence, an improper exhibition of a firearm, after having pointed a gun at his stepchild’s head in 2005. But he also has deep pockets, and knows “important” people. Usually that’s sufficient when mean people do bad things and want to get away with them.
But like Hoochie and Raley, this story refuses to die. Christopher Comins, a savvy businessman, figured he could talk his way out of trouble by concocting an elaborate story, in which the pets acted like vicious wolves, first trying to eat the cows and then turning their wild fangs on Comins himself, who, fearing for his life, fired only in self-defense. He didn’t anticipate having to contend with real footage that documented the events and debunked the Comins’ version of them. But the emergence of a YouTube video a few days after the shooting did just that, sparking a global outcry.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is now asking the State Attorney’s Office to file a misdemeanor charge against Christopher Comins, according to a recent article in the Orlando Sentinel:
Investigators on Monday recommended that (Comins) be charged with animal cruelty.
After reviewing the videotape and interviewing more than 20 witnesses, investigators concluded that the last shot Comins fired crossed the line, sheriff’s Cmdr. Stephen Garrison said. That shot occurred after the dogs’ owner, Christopher Butler, jumped a fence and ran to his pets, who had escaped from his street less than two miles away.
“We didn’t feel there was justification to shoot” the last shot, Garrison said.
“Where Butler is physically in control of the first dog and the second dog is having difficulty standing or moving far, the need to continue shooting the second dog to protect the cattle is no longer required,” the sheriff’s report states.
In addition to whatever charges the state brings against him, Comins also faces a civil lawsuit, filed by the dogs’ owner, Chris Butler.
An Orlando businessman criticized for shooting two huskies in a pasture near Lake Nona in May faces a civil lawsuit over the dogs’ injuries.
The lawsuit seeking more than $15,000 in damages was filed Thursday in Circuit Court by Christopher Butler, who owns the dogs, Hoochie and Railey, according to Orange County court records. Veterinary bills for the dogs wounded seven times exceeded $7,500.
Christopher Comins also is accused of endangering the dogs’ owner as well as motorists and bystanders who stopped to watch the pets chase cattle within view of the Central Florida GreeneWay.
This deranged man should be held fully accountable for his actions. He is very lucky he did not shoot my dogs.
His outrageous behavior towards two pet dogs was cowardly and sick. His initial lies about what happened were thankfully proven false by the You Tube Video.
And all of you out there who think this guy is innocent – you are as sick as he is.
May he rot in hell.
AFPym
what an ass. just because chris may have good judgment in the work field does not make him a hero, when did the dogs attack the cattle, that’s what i would like to know. you know what they did not attack the cattle. just so you know any type of dog could attack cattle even a cattle dog. I am sorry chris used some very bad judgment in this situation. i would like to know what action needed to be taken. also how did he get permission so quickly to shoot at the dogs. why is he carrying around 2 guns on his person (that sounds like a nice guy. if he had to shoot the dogs thats 1 thing, then shoot them do not make a huge scene. how many shots did he fire several and the dogs were away from the cattle. this chris that you make out to be a saint seems more like a cruel man that has nothing to do but to shot some dogs, let us celebrate this idiot and all the stupid people that are supporting a coward of a man like chris. i am sure that the owner of this blog will not post this, because he or she is a coward like chris.
Richard
He deserves whatever people choose to give him.
what a trailertrash idiot. i cant believe the owner of the dogs didnt flip out and murder this guy. that would have made me crazy. just watching the video i hope they give him lethal injection but of course they wont because it’s just “animal cruelty”. more punishment in the courts for animal cruelty is needed. You want this phsyco out on the street near your kids?
Timothy and others:
Stop posting Christopher Comins’ address & phone #s. Stop with the death threats. I was contacted today by a criminal investigations detective in my former town of residence. If they found me they can just as easily find you. More on this later.
[...] 8/17/08: Husky Shooter Update: Chris Comins May Face Charges [...]
[...] 8/17/08: Husky Shooter Update: Chris Comins May Face Charges [...]
[...] a dog shooting incident that occurred about a year ago. You can see his original posts here and here, the small video of the shooting here, and a blog put up in defense of the accused [...]
[...] to see the shooter punished for what his brutal actions. Then Chris Comins sued me for writing truthful blog entries about his [...]
actually, id love to go out with chris comins, and id like to know, how many people know about a leash law in florida? owning my own horses, i have dogs that i love thats my own, however, if my own dog was to grab my baby horses and try and kill them> id kill my own dogs!!@, a farmer has the right to shoot and kill, any animal, including someones pet, whos off the chain, that is atttacking or chasing,or even not on a leash, so whos gfault really is it? Id say the owner of the huskies, for not keeping up with his animals> kinda like not knowing where your children are> by the way> does the dog owner have kids?? I hope he knows how to baby sit, his children better than watching his dogs!!@ And, for the record> has any of you city slickers ever seen a horse or cattle, or a child attacked by a dog? I almost lost my hand/arm, due to a recent dog attack, that was a neighbors dog, i recall the dog was off the chain, got out of the owners house and attacked me,,, if my child was present( id pull out my gun and shoot that dog myself) but.. of course if i could have gotten to a stick, should i have beaten it to death? or let the dog kill me?? So question the actions before, you state your thoughts,> what if it was you?? i am still fighting with my hand injuries, when i was helping the sheriffs department hunt down a criminal…..> have you ever seen what police officers do to peoples dogs??? or how about the dog pound when they throw them in a fire and burn them………??? check into it…..i think the owner of the dogs are at fault, and whats the state statue law? say about protecting our livestock? oh, i guess they wrote it down, and then changed the law as they go>> humm, sounds familiar,,,,,,,,geez,,, people,,,, id go out with you chris,,,,,lol,, ((( WONDER WOMAN))
Those dogs didn’t attack the cattle. they didn’t attack him. I had a dog ,that loved to run with horses, cows, and he loved them. never once, did he hurt any horse or cow, these two dogs weren’t either, those cows were very calmly standing there.
This rich SOB, just thinks he can get away with it. It should be felony charges against him. I just thank god , those nice people were there taking the video , and the people calling the cops. Thank You.
Christopher M. Comins, should be facing felony charges, Hoochie and Raley, weren’t hurting those cows, cows can move if they are scared, Hoochie and Raley, also didn’t threaten Christopher, the rich man, I hope just because he’s rich ,he doesn’t get away with this. I watched this over and over, not once did the cattle look threatened, or did it look like the dogs were doing anything. Thank god for the nice people that took the video, and the people calling the cops.
The outraged people here who call Christopher Comins terrible names ought to look at who is truly at fault here. There are leash laws in this county. No one has the right to let their animals run free on someone else’s property. Apparently Mr. Butler thinks he is the exception. (What makes him think so, I wonder?)
Those crazies who call Comins trailer trash – well, I guess it takes one to know one.
I love dogs and would never infringe upon someone else’s property rights. My dogs are always on leash and cleaned up after they make a mess.
Animal rights is a good thing, but when people are irresponsible dog owners, the blame should be placed where it belongs: Mr. Butler! By being so irresponsible, HE is the one who placed his dogs in danger. I fell sorry for the dogs on more levels than one.
That wasn’t his property, fool.
For the latest updates, visit: CominsvVanvoorhis.com
Leash laws and laying blame on the owner for his dogs being out still does not give any right to Mr Comins to shoot those dogs. If the cows or himself were in danger, then yes, he had every right to shoot those dogs for self-defense. But to say it is okay for Mr Comins to shoot those dogs because they got out…it just as sick as he is! There were other options…calling animal control or the police. And you say you are an animal lover yourself! My dogs have never gotten loose. They are kept indoors when we are not home. But should they ever get loose…I would hope decent people would look out for them until they were returned home or I found them. There is no excuse for the needless use of Mr Comins use of a deadly weapon. There is no way to compare the responsibility of the owners dog’s getting out to this man’s needless acts. I would have been over that fence to protect those dogs even though they were not mine.
MAY HE ROT IN HELL!! HE SHOULD BE CHARGED LIKE AS IF HE SHOT A HUMAN BEING. THERE IS NO REASON FOR HIM TO SHOOT THOSE POOR DOGS.I HAVE A HUSKY-SHEPHERD AND THEY DON’T HURT ANYONE! NOT EVEN ANOTHER ANIMAL… IF HE GETS OFF BECAUSE HE KNOWS PEOPLE FROM HIGH UP, MAY THEY ROT IN HELL TOO! GOD SEE’S ALL. IM A FIRM BELEIVER IN ” WHAT COMES AROUND, GOES AROUND ” WHAT AN ASSHOLE!! ALL HUMANS THAT ARE CRUEL TO ANIMALS WILL GO TO A PLANET WHEN THEY DIE AND THE ANIMALS ARE THE OWNERS & THOSE HUMANS ARE THEIR PETS. :)
[...] called Public Intellectual. Comins objects to two of VanVoorhis’ blog posts from June and August 2008, which reported and followed up on an incident that occurred in May, in which Comins shot two [...]