XPost: or.general, tx.politics, alt.politics.usa   
   XPost: can.general   
   From: bsf@yahoo.com   
      
   The shooting death of an Iowa woman by a police officer trying   
   to simultaneously quell a domestic dispute and ward off a   
   surprise attack by an aggressive dog was likely an accident,   
   authorities said.   
      
   Autumn Mae Steele, 34, was struck in the chest by an errant   
   bullet fired by Burlington Police Officer Jesse Hill, The   
   (Burlington, IA) Hawk Eye reports. The shooting occurred about   
   10:25 a.m. Tuesday in Burlington, one of Iowa’s Quad Cities   
   nestled along the Mississippi River in the southeast corner of   
   the state.   
      
   When she was shot, Steele had been out of jail for less than an   
   hour after being arrested Monday and held overnight on   
   misdemeanor charges of domestic abuse causing injury.   
      
   Hill had escorted the woman back to her residence to collect   
   some belongings when another argument ensued with her husband,   
   Gabriel Steele, as he was loading the couple’s 4-year-old son   
   into a vehicle.   
      
   Witnesses described a chaotic scene complicated by slippery, icy   
   conditions that caused Hill to fall while firing his weapon.   
      
   A man who declined to be identified told WQAD-TV that Autumn   
   Steele was “beating up on” her husband.   
      
   When Hill “ran over to break up the fight, the dog ran over to   
   the cop, kind of in a playful way (and) jumped up on the cop’s   
   back,” the witness said. “I don’t believe the cop ever even seen   
   the dog until he was on his back. He spun around trying to deal   
   with the dog. He pulled his weapon and he was firing at the dog.   
      
   “I believe he shot one before he went down, but I’m not positive   
   about that,” the witness continued. “It happened so quickly, so   
   both shots might have happened while he was falling down, during   
   which he hits the lady and she went down.”   
      
   The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which is overseeing   
   the investigation into the shooting, said its preliminary   
   findings support a tragic accident. The DCI confirmed that Hill   
   fired his weapon twice.   
      
   Incident Touches Already Frayed Nerve   
      
   The incident has become more fuel for a firestorm of criticism   
   that has erupted against police since the police-involved   
   shooting of an unarmed black teen in Ferguson, MO.   
      
   The Free Thought Project website, a news aggregation site   
   established to “incite change” and whose frequently covered   
   topics include the Ferguson shooting, characterized the incident   
   as “a tragic case of police incompetence.”   
      
   Tell Us:   
      
   Is widespread criticism against police in the months following   
   the Ferguson shooting justified?   
   “The very government agency who claims the authority to carry   
   deadly weapons in all situations often disregard the heavy   
   responsibility and end up hurting those they ostensibly   
   protect,” the Free Thought Project writer opined.   
      
   RT.com, which urges its readers to “question more,” ran a story   
   under the headline “Iowa cop shoots woman dead in front of   
   family, while trying to pacify their dog.”   
      
   After the shooting, another officer arrived at the scene and   
   both tried to calm Gabriel Steele, who wanted to help his wife.   
   “I’m a combat veteran,” the distraught Steele reportedly shouted   
   at police. “What are you guys doing? Let me help.”   
      
   Autumn Steele was pronounced dead at a local hospital and Hill   
   was treated for at least one dog bite. Iowa DCI Special Agent in   
   Charge Rick Rahn told the Des Moines (IA) Register he didn’t   
   know how many bites the officer sustained, or the severity of   
   his injuries.   
      
   Hill has been an officer for Burlington since August 2013.   
      
   The DCI is continuing its investigation. Results of an autopsy   
   performed Thursday were not available.   
      
   http://patch.com/iowa/iowacity/police-cop-aims-dog-kills-woman-   
   instead   
      
             
      
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