[News] Man Kills Yorkie By Kicking It! :(

[fasteddie]

This is so sad! That a**hole needs to be punished if he did kill the little Yorkie. If you are living in a "rougher" neighborhood, I definitely wouldn't let my Yorkie out of my sight! Poor Gizmo, rest in peace little buddy! Definitely don't let your little pups out in the street by themselves!!!

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/images/gizmo.jpg
RIP Gizmo
---
A Priest Lake man killed his neighbor's 2-pound miniature Yorkshire terrier by kicking it into the air like a football, police said, and authorities have charged him with animal cruelty.

Jelani Lewis and Jessica McKenzie say they are outraged at the death of their 17-year-old pet, Gizmo. Lewis said he watched helplessly early yesterday as three men assaulted the dog the way football players kick field goals.

The dog was dead instantly when he hit the pavement. The man police say kicked him, Chad Daniel Crawford, 23, of the 1000 block of Long Hunter Lane is now charged with cruelty to animals and felony vandalism and was free yesterday after posting $25,000 bail, authorities said.

Reached by telephone at his home, Crawford said the accusations against him were false. He declined to comment further and said he was trying to contact his attorney.

''I didn't believe that they actually kicked my dog,'' Lewis, 29, said yesterday, standing in a parking lot at the Nashboro Village apartment complex, where dried blood puddles were still on the blacktop. ''When I saw him kick it, I was thinking, maybe for a second, 'No, that really isn't Gizmo he's kicking.' ''

One of the men ''with tattoos on both arms was holding the dog like a football,'' Lewis said. ''The other one backed up and kicked him … like a place kicker.''

Gizmo went flying into the air in a high arc. The man and two friends with him laughed, and then ran away, Lewis said. For a moment, Lewis stood still, his eyes following Gizmo's body until it smacked onto the pavement and then rolled a couple of feet beneath a parked car.

''There is an obvious question about the mental makeup of someone who would do a thing like this to a tiny animal,'' said Metro Animal Control Director Judy Ladebauche. ''This is heart-breaking. I've seen horrific things but not like this. I cannot imagine where someone's mind would be who would do something like this.''

Ladebauche said she would ask the Davidson County district attorney general and police officials to upgrade the charges against Crawford from animal cruelty to the state's newly created aggravated animal cruelty charge. A conviction under the new law can result in a court-ordered mental evaluation for the offender, and a second offense is a felony.

Crawford also is charged with felony vandalism, instead of misdemeanor vandalism, because Gizmo was worth about $1,500, according to court records. No one else has been charged in the case, according to a review of recent warrants.

A man who was with Crawford, identified as Michael Lee Davis, also told police that Crawford kicked the dog, according to arrest reports.

Police reports say Crawford, who lives about three blocks from Lewis, is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. Gizmo weighed about 2 pounds, Lewis said.

William Ackerman, a neighbor of Lewis at Nashboro Village, said he saw Gizmo nearly every day as Lewis would stop by. ''I've got it out for anybody who would hurt a little-bitty dog like that. … '' Ackerman said. ''That little dog wouldn't hurt a flea.''

Yorkshire terriers are toy dogs with tan and ''blue'' coats. The American Kennel Club Web site warns that they can be easily injured by small children.

Lewis had seen the men laughing in the parking lot as he took out the trash. But he thought they were petting Gizmo, who Lewis said never barked, bit or attacked, and was a veteran whimperer — always looking for scraps of food or an occasional pat on the head. Lewis said he and Crawford did not know each other.

After Gizmo's death, Lewis said, he chased the three men until he caught Crawford, and made him pick up Gizmo's body and take it upstairs to McKenzie. He later held Crawford until police showed up. As her boyfriend spoke yesterday, McKenzie, 27, wept.

The couple said they were in shock and disbelief yesterday. Gizmo had originally belonged to Lewis' grandmother, and they took the dog when the woman died.

http://www.tennessean.com/local/arch...nt_ID=49497774

[Junebug]

This story made me sick to my stomach. What kind of a person would do something that terrible to an innocent dog?? I hope the animal rights activists hear about this one.

But how did this guy get ahold of Gizmo in the first place? I know no one deserves this to happen to their dog, but these people really should have kept a closer eye on Gizmo. Was he just roaming around? Poor thing. I need to go hug Otis.

This man's punishment should be a one-way ticket to Iraq.

[fasteddie]

Yup, I went home and hugged Yoda after I read it, too. Perhaps they had a friendly neighborhood before, but a two-pound Yorkie on any street is not really all that safe, in my opinion. But nonetheless, it still shouldn't have been hurt!

[silvi]

this really gets me upset! How could anyone do this to such a great little pet? I hope he fries! EVIL, evil man!

[bettyeanne]

I can't think of a punishment good enough for this guy!! That's the most heartbreaking thing I have heard of in a long time! At least it got national attention!


http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/arti...08162809990022

[fasteddie]

Since I'm not an AOL member, I couldn't reach that link, bettyanne. Well, looks like the suspect admitted it to the police. Too bad, the punishment in Tennessee really isn't much at all.

Anyways, here are more details:

Gizmo had been let outside to relieve himself while Lewis took the trash out at the complex where he and Crawford live, the Nashboro Village apartments, near Priest Lake.

A new witness told her story to The Tennessean yesterday. LaTresa Cunningham, 26, a graduate student in Middle Tennessee State University's business administration program, said she had been playing with Gizmo just minutes before his death. She gave the following account:

Cunningham, who works with Lewis at a Verizon call center in Murfreesboro, was at the residence shared by Lewis and McKenzie on Monday night to watch the NCAA basketball championship game. It was late, the game had just ended, and Gizmo walked over to the couple's apartment door.

Cunningham had been playing with Gizmo during the game, shaking hands and rubbing his belly. But the dog suddenly wanted to go outside. Lewis took Gizmo out while he took out the trash.

Later, there was a knock on the door and a neighbor told McKenzie that someone had killed Gizmo.

Cunningham recalled that the 2-pound dog was dead, lying at the bottom of the stairs.

''I was just shocked and thinking, 'Who killed the dog?' and 'How?' I was just playing with the dog. I went downstairs, when we ran downstairs, saw the dog laying there. (You) could look at the dog and could tell he was dead.''

Cunningham related the following conversation that she said took place between Lewis and Crawford:

Lewis: ''Why did you kick my dog?''

Crawford: ''I didn't kick your dog. Your dog was hit by a car.''

Lewis: ''Do you think I didn't see you? You kicked my dog.''

Crawford: ''I kicked it because I didn't know what it was.''

According to Cunningham, Crawford's friend described the incident after police arrived.

''Then his friend admitted twice — two times he said it to the cop … he admitted that he saw his friend kick the dog,'' Cunningham said.

[Junebug]

What a meathead.

Thanks for the update, FastEddie.

I'm glad the grandma isn't alive to know what happened to her dog. Maybe they're reunited in a better place.....if you believe in that kind of stuff.

One time I was at a plaza sitting next to a fountain, and I was enjoying the sun with Otis. I got up to leave and Otis didn't want to get up, so the man sitting next to me shoved Otis's behind with his foot, sort of a semi-kick, enough to shock Otis. I was so mad, I said, "Why did you do that for?? Don't ever touch my dog again!"

Some people are beyond clueless.

[fasteddie]

Wow! I woulda swore at him at the top of my lungs if someone did that. They have NO RIGHT at all! Beware of little children, too, that try to pet our Yorkies like SMACK in the face and stuff... Yoda's pretty smart though, he'll usually shy away when a kid comes forward to pet him! :P

Ugh, but some parents are crazy, they just let their kids go up to any dog and don't even have the decency to ask!

[Willie's mom]

First of all she should not have let her baby go outside alone not only could something like this happen but other animal prey, cars, etc And she said the dog always looks for scrap food? I don't get that...he could get ahold of something he shouldn't eat and get sick...And if I looked out my window and saw someone attempting to harm my baby I wouldn't just sit there and watch...This is just a sad story of how sick some people are!!! Poor Gizmo this shouldn't have happened!!!

Sandra

[fasteddie]

Another Update: Guess Gizmo has a twin! :P
---
Eric Wang thought there was something familiar about the little photograph of a Yorkshire terrier inside the Sing Tao Daily, a Chinese-language newspaper he was reading on the train into New York City.

Like others across the country, Wang, a computer network engineer for a financial company, was engrossed by a story about the horrid death of a Nashville dog, Gizmo, who police said was killed when a Nashville man kicked him like a football.

Then Wang realized that the dog in the picture wasn't Gizmo. It was his own.

According to Wang, the photograph published in The Tennessean's print and online editions is actually that of GiGi, a Yorkshire terrier who Wang said was euthanized last year at age 19.

The Edison, N.J., man has a photo of GiGi posted on an Internet site that he runs.

News outlets around the world have run the story of Gizmo in recent days, along with the purported Gizmo picture. It has gained national attention and sympathy for the dog and its owners.

But as it turns out, Gizmo's owners, Jelani Lewis, 29, and Jessica McKenzie, 27, of Nashville, provided an incorrect photograph to The Tennessean to publish with the newspaper's coverage of Gizmo's death.

The photo was one of GiGi, which they had downloaded from the Internet for their collection of dog photos, they said.

Lewis yesterday said he and Mc-Kenzie had thought it was a photo of Gizmo. They could not provide a photo of Gizmo but said they would continue looking for one.

''We are sorry,'' Lewis said. ''When you see pictures of Gizmo, you will see that our dogs are twins.''

Wang said yesterday that he wasn't upset about the mix-up, and actually thought it was ''cool'' that a picture of his former companion had gained national, and even international, exposure.

He said he grew up with GiGi, who once belonged to his aunt. He said he talked with Lewis yesterday by telephone and that Lewis was apologetic.

Wang also said he was concerned by the news of what happened to Gizmo. He couldn't grasp why the Nashville couple's dog died the way it did.

Chad Daniel Crawford, 23, is charged with animal cruelty and felony vandalism. Crawford has re-mained free after posting $25,000 bail shortly after his arrest.

In a brief telephone interview with The Tennessean earlier this week, Crawford said the charges against him were not true and that he would contact an attorney. Attempts to reach him since then have not been successful.

''It's kind of outrageous,'' Wang said yesterday when reached at his New Jersey home.

''It wasn't like it was a stray dog. It was a neighbor's dog. Why would you do that?''

http://www.tennessean.com/local/arch...nt_ID=49658591

[MikeM]

The photo was one of GiGi, which they had downloaded from the Internet for their collection of dog photos, they said.

Lewis yesterday said he and Mc-Kenzie had thought it was a photo of Gizmo. They could not provide a photo of Gizmo but said they would continue looking for one.

Very strange about the wrong photo being used of their dog.

Just curious, but does this story almost sound fake to anyone else? It's so outrageous that a lot of things don't add up, with the false photo being another odd item.

I'm not saying it didn't happen or anything, but with recent revelations of "fake news" by even New York times reporters, the sceptic in me wants me to believe this is fake, and it's two people making up a story or something. At least I hope it is, otherwise it's just a sad end to the life of the real Gizmo. It just all seems so odd to me.

[fasteddie]

Some details seem odd, but since the guy really DID get arrested (and later released on $25k bond), there doesn't seem to be any motive for the two people (Gizmo's parents) to lie about it, since there doesn't seem to be a financial reason for lying. Also, he seems to have admitted it to the police as well:

According to Cunningham, Crawford's friend described the incident after police arrived.

''Then his friend admitted twice — two times he said it to the cop … he admitted that he saw his friend kick the dog,'' Cunningham said.

[fasteddie]

Update:
---
A ''severe blow to the brain stem area'' was the likely cause of death for Gizmo, a 16-year-old Yorkshire terrier reportedly kicked to death, according to an examination by state veterinarians.

The exam, results of which were released yesterday, seems to bolster an account by the dog's owner, who said he saw a man kick his dog like a football last week.

''There was nothing that definitively defined the source of the injury,'' said Dr. Ron Wilson, director of the C.E. Kord Diagnostic Laboratory at the Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville, where the exam was conducted. ''But certainly there was nothing that disputed the story that was offered … by the owner.''

However, the exam cannot rule out that the dog was hit by a car, Wilson said. At least one person, the suspect's grandfather, has said the charges against Chad Daniel Crawford, 23, are false and that the dog could have been hit by a car.

The dog's owners, Jelani Lewis, 29, and Jessica McKenzie, 27, paid for the exam. Attempts to reach them were unsuccessful yesterday. But in a voice mail to The Tennessean, Lewis said he felt the exam results backed up his account.

Although the exam cannot rule out a car accident, Gizmo's tiny frame, which weighed just over 2 pounds, showed no signs that it was crushed by a car tire, Wilson said.

''Had we seen that, it would make unlikely the case that the animal had been kicked,'' he said. ''There was no evidence of crushing.''

The autopsy, performed by state veterinary pathologist Lani Vincent, found that the back of Gizmo's skull was crushed and that he had blood in his lungs, along with a blood clot in his liver.

It also showed the dog was well fed, had been groomed ''recently'' before death and had suffered no injuries or bruising besides what occurred in the incident leading to his death.

On Monday, Gizmo was cremated at Nashville's Faithful Friends Pet Memorial Services. Gizmo's ashes are now in a cage in his owners' living room, Lewis said in a voice-mail message yesterday.

Gizmo's death gained international attention after Lewis' report that he watched in horror as one of three men held the dog low to the ground, while another man ran forward, kicking it like a football.

The dog smacked onto the parking-lot pavement and then his body rolled underneath a parked car, the report said.

After Lewis caught Crawford, police arrested him and charged him with cruelty to animals and felony vandalism, assessed because of the dog's value.

A man who was with Crawford told police that Crawford committed the act, according to police records.

Attempts to reach Crawford have been unsuccessful. Yesterday he told WSMV-Channel 4 that he was innocent and that witnesses will come forward to corroborate his account.

In another development, Metro's animal control director said yesterday that Gizmo's owner wasn't necessarily breaking the law by letting the Yorkie outside without a leash.

''If he was in a parking lot or if he was in a grassy area adjacent to the apartment, that could be part of his property where he is living,'' Judy Ladebauche said.

State laws do not specify that pets have to be on a leash, Ladebauche said. Instead, owners must have the animals under their control. And apartment and condominium properties set their own rules and guidelines for how pets are allowed to roam.

http://www.tennessean.com/local/arch...nt_ID=49842043

[fasteddie]

They finally found a pic of the real Gizmo apparently. I dunno about you, but they don't look all that much similar in the jpg to me.
---
http://www.yorkietalk.com/gallery/al...gigi_gizmo.jpg

Here at last: the real Gizmo.

It took more than a week, but owners of the 16-year-old Yorkshire terrier that reportedly was place-kicked to death have obtained photos of their 2-pound dog.

It turns out that Jessica McKenzie, 27, and her fiance Jelani Lewis, 29, did not have a photo of Gizmo, and it took a search by friends and relatives before digital images of Gizmo turned up.

The day after the dog's April 5 death at the Nashboro Village apartments, the couple provided a photo they thought was of Gizmo and it was broadcast internationally on TV and reprinted in newspapers, starting in The Tennessean.

Chad Daniel Crawford, 23, has been arrested in the kicking incident and charged with animal cruelty and felony vandalism. Crawford says he is innocent. He has remained free after posting $25,000 bail shortly after his arrest.

After a New Jersey man saw coverage of the dog's death in a Chinese-language newspaper he was reading on the subway, he contacted The Tennessean to say the photo was of his deceased Yorkie, GiGi.

''For the longest time, we believed it was a picture of Gizmo — and it does look like Gizmo,'' Lewis said yesterday.

''We have hundreds of different pictures of Yorkshire terriers,'' Lewis said. ''This isn't the first time we printed it out and thought it was Gizmo. We had this picture for quite some time.''

How did the mistake occur?

After the dog died, McKenzie went looking on the couple's computer for a digital photo.

She found a digital image that she and Lewis thought was Gizmo. They e-mailed the photo to The Tennessean, which used it in its April 7 edition, which broke the news of the dog's death.

Lewis said the mistake occurred because the couple has ''hundreds'' of Yorkshire terrier pictures on their computer, and the incorrect photo looked so much like Gizmo that it fooled them.

After they were told of the mistake, the couple began searching for a photo and asked family and friends, who then provided to the couple the photo reprinted here.

This time, Lewis said, he is confident he's got the right dog.

Lewis and McKenzie said they are continuing to search through their belongings to find other digital photographs of Gizmo.

''We have literally called all of our friends to see if they had pictures of Gizmo,'' Lewis said. ''We can't even find the ones we have.''

A hearing for Crawford has been set for May.

http://www.tennessean.com/local/arch...nt_ID=49996305

[Stitches29]

I can't imagine anyone hurting a tiny dog. Any animal cruelty is like child cruelty. It really bothers me to hear that people out there can take their frustrations out on anything smaller than themselves. Sick people. Very sick people. Bless your heart Gizmo, you may be missed but never forgotten.