An Ohio mom wept as she recalled how a North Ridgeville Humane Officer shot and killed a litter of kittens in her backyard earlier this week while her children watched on in horror.
The unidentified woman says Humane Officer Barry Accorti arrived at her home after she contacted the local police department about an aggressive feral cat living with five kittens in a woodpile outside her house.
After informing the woman that all shelters were full up and the kittens would be going to "kitty heaven," Accorti allegedly took out his gun and shot the two-month-old animals point-blank.
The woman says her kids had witnessed the massacre from a nearby window, and one of them rushed to her side visibly distraught crying, "Mommy, mommy, he shot the kitty."
In a statement released yesterday on its Facebook page, the North Ridgeville Police Department claimed the mother "was aware that the feral cats were going to be euthanized but did not expect it to occur on her property."
The statement went on to say that while the department "recognizes the concerns of those who believe feral cats should not be killed for simply trying to survive," it was ultimately decided that Officer Accorti's actions were "appropriate" and no disciplinary measures would be imposed.
The Facebook page was subsequently inundated with comments from people taking issue with the department's stance, prompting a follow-up post aimed, ostensibly, at providing "a place to speak out for or against what is being reported."
After hundreds of comments, the majority of which were not favorable to the NRPD's position, the post mysteriously disappeared.
"All 1,000 posts were taken down from yesterday???? Why?????" asked one follower. "Is it because 99% of the people who commented DISAGREE with the chiefs decision? What a disappointment."
In a response to the commenter, a police rep said the post was not removed by the department but was mysteriously deleted overnight, along with the comments.