The Vicious Dog Target

Targets that could be seen from the door of the entrance to the shooting range. Note the missing vicious dog target.

Missing from the photos the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department provided me as a result of a Freedom of Information request was the paper target of the vicious dog.

Vicious dog target without a bullet hole.

The low target representing a snarling dog, as readers will remember, is the one that Deputy Hart’s report said that “shrapnel“ from the one bullet he shot at it ricocheted to at least five places:

  • Eric Woods’ face
  • Eric Woods’ right hand
  • Eric Woods’ left arm
  • Eric Woods’ inner left thigh
  • Deputy Manes “concussion to my right side”

I requested a copy of the dog target used in the exercise, but was told,

“The actual one used was destroyed during the exercise-it’s made of paper.”

Diagram of shooting range incident prepared by Deputy A. Thomas.

Deputy A. Thomas has placed the members of the 8-man “stack” from left to right like this:

Manus, Woods, Hart (with Ellis behind him outside the enclosure), Embry and McKenzie.
Sgt. Pyle also wrote that he was outside, but I can’t find him on the drawing.

That brings the total identified members of the team to seven.

I cannot identify the eighth member of the SWAT Team.

So far, the injured deputy, Woods, Embry and the so-far-unidentified eighth member of the team have not yet filed reports.

What you see below is an enlargement of a photo showing two male targets at the back of the range.  Note that there are bullet holes in the paper targets below.


Comments

The Vicious Dog Target — 2 Comments

  1. Cal, a question to ask would be; How many times had Deputy Woods previously been involved in this same type exercise? Was this his first time out? Thank you.

  2. Dep. Croner may be #8. His report stated, “While participating in range training, on this date, I was ‘holding’ outside the door of the ‘shoot house’ when I heard Deputy Woods indicate he had been hit by shrapnel during the training scenario…”

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