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Justice For Nala

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Hello! I am Brittany Knudsen's younger sister Courtney.  The outpouring love and support that the Knudsen family has received regarding the tragic loss of their family Great Dane, has been absolutely incredible. Aside from sharing support and kind words we have had many requests to start a GoFundMe Account. This fund will not only help cover the emergency vet bill, but the potential in hiring an attorney to find #JusticeForNala.  


*any donations exceeding our goal will be donated to animal rescues and vet emergency funds in the KC area*

Below is the full story:


Two weeks ago on March 29th, 2020 Mark Cantrell and his wife, Jessica, were walking their two pit bulls(/mix) in our quiet neighborhood in Spring Hill, KS when they shot and killed our beloved Great Dane, Nala. They walked away free of charges and had absolutely no consequences.

We have been going in circles the past two weeks trying to get justice for Nala, but have continued to hit dead end after dead end. I’m writing this post heart broken, angry, and at a loss for words. Something needs to be done. Something needs to change.

Below is the full story:

My name is John Knudsen and my wife, Brittany, and I reside (along with our three
young children) in our quiet small town of Spring Hill, Kansas.

On the evening of Sunday, March 29, 2020 at approximately 5:17 p.m., Brittany and I were doing yard work on our property (more specifically, moving our work from the front yard to the backyard). At that time, I asked Brittany to let our family pet --- a Great Dane named Nala --- into our house. Unfortunately, we were not aware that our door into the garage had been left open, which left Nala access into and out of our garage, thus into the front yard. Approximately 10-15 seconds after Brittany left to let Nala in, and as I was walking along the west side of our home (facing south), I heard a single gunshot from the north. [At that same time, Brittany…who had witnessed Nala go through the door to the garage and followed…was walking through the door into the garage.] There had been no barking or any other sound of a commotion before the gunshot. Upon hearing the gunshot, I immediately ran to the front yard and saw Nala ‘jogging’ back towards me. I also witnessed a middle-aged couple (later identified as Mark Ronald Cantrell and his wife, Jessica) with two pit-bulls(/mixes), across the street; they were walking north, away from where the incident had taken place. I called out to the couple, asking what had happened; and Mr. Cantrell’s wife replied that Nala had attacked his dogs. Upon reaching Nala, I observed that she had a single gunshot wound directly to her side. I yelled to Mr. Cantrell that he had shot my dog. I told Brittany to call 911 and instructed the couple to wait until the police arrived. At that time the shooter, Mr. Cantrell (later found out he is employed by the Olathe Police Department) transferred a weapon to his wife and told her to continue walking north. I yelled at Mr. Cantrell to wait there, and I promptly half-walked / half-carried Nala to the bed of my pickup so that I could take her to medical care. While I was unloading my work tools from the bed of my truck --- in order to make room for Nala --- I heard Mr. Cantrell exclaim (in a frantic manner to his wife) “Give me the gun!” Upon hearing this, Brittany told Mr. Cantrell to leave the gun alone and that I was only loading Nala into the pickup to take her to the hospital. Brittany then kept a close watch on Mr. Cantrell, while awaiting the arrival of the Spring Hill police officers; we both were fearful and unsure of his irrational behavior. Upon the arrival of the Spring Hill police officers, and after having loaded Nala into the bed of my vehicle, I promptly drove to the emergency veterinary clinic. Nala received emergency care for her injuries, but died a short time later.

There were two eye-witnesses to this incident. The first is a neighbor who was sitting with her daughter (and a friend) in their driveway. She submitted a witness report, stating that they watched Nala playfully run up to Mr. Cantrell’s dogs and begin to sniff them. She heard no barking, growling or any sort of commotion at all. She said there was no effort from either Mr. Cantrell or his wife to shoo Nala away or call for help. The second witness is also a neighbor who at the time of the incident, was on her raised deck, giving her a clear view of the location of the shooting. She also submitted a witness testimonial, stating that she heard no sounds of aggressive barking,growling, yelling or a commotion before she heard the gunshot.

We have been informed by the Police Department that no criminal charges will be filed due to Mr. Cantrell supposedly “fearing for his safety” and the current Leash Law. We fully understand and support the rationale behind leash laws, but Nala was not simply wandering around the neighborhood without a leash. She had just temporarily ‘escaped’ through an open door with Brittany pursuing just a few seconds behind. (This has happened at one time or another to every pet owner!) For Mrs. Cantrell to have told me that Nala attacked her dogs, and Mr. Cantrell to state that he ‘feared for his safety’ --- all in just a matter of seconds --- that just does not add up. There were no sounds of barking, growling… and definitely not of fighting. And there were no visible signs of wounds, other than the gunshot wound to Nala. Surely, if there was an attack, there would have been scratches, bite marks, or at least sounds of a struggle! Yet because Mr. Cantrell claims ‘fear for his safety’ he is now considered the victim and is shielded from the consequences of his irresponsible and deadly actions! If that is true, then something needs to change. No person, especially a police officer, should be allowed to use deadly force and then hide behind a claim of ‘fearing for safety’ --- especially when witnesses have contradicted the claim. That law stands for people; it should stand for pets as well.

Responding Spring Hill Officers and the entire Spring Hill PD have been nothing but amazing during this whole situation. They have been sympathetic to our loss, and have continually checked in on us to be sure we are holding up. This is how a police department should be, and I am proud to have these officers protecting our community. But unfortunately their hands are tied because of these laws.

However, the actions of Mr. Cantrell…especially as an officer of the law… were unnecessary, negligent and dangerous. Firing a weapon in a residential cul-de-sac could have had even more catastrophic results, as the neighborhood is filled with families / children. This includes our two boys and their baby sister (who was asleep in a bedroom in the direction Mr. Cantrell fired his shot). In addition, as mentioned before, Brittany was just entering the garage(also in the direction of the shot). He could have tripped over one of the leashes of his dogs, leading to an errant shot; or he simply might have missed. In either case, his reckless actions simply were not warranted in this particular situation, as there was no imminent threat to his safety (as attested to by the witnesses).

As mentioned above, Nala was a Great Dane--- a breed that is popularly known worldwide as a “gentle giant”. Nala was no exception to that ‘gentle giant’ nickname, as she was the perfect dog for our three young children. She loved going to the dog park to play with other dogs and greet all the humans there, too. Everyone who met Nala loved her--- from her groomers, to her veterinarian, her boarding facility, our neighbors, etc. --- all of whom were devastated, sickened, and completely shocked to hear the news of this man shooting and killing her.

At this point it has been over two weeks since the incident has occurred and we have gotten nowhere. We do not believe that this situation was handled properly, and to let Mr. Cantrell and his wife walk away from their horrific act with zero consequences is absolutely unjust! We want justice for Nala. Not only was her life cut extremely short in such an unnecessary and inhumane manner --- as she was torn from our family--- but we are also left with not only broken hearts, but with a large emergency veterinary bill… all because of Mr. Cantrell’s lack of self control and simple compassion. This incident has left us with so many unanswered questions. Why was Mr. Cantrell walking around our quiet, peaceful cul-de-sac with his two pitbulls(/mixes)... armed with a fire arm? Why was his first instinct to ‘shoot to kill’ within five seconds of an interaction (interpreted as friendly by witnesses) with our Nala? If he truly “feared for his safety”, as he has claimed, why did he not yell for help, try to shoo Nala away, or even fire a warning shot? Why was there no sound of any barking, growling, or commotion before the shooting? We are asking you to please help us find answers to these questions and find justice for Nala!

Over the past two weeks, our family has been on an emotional rollercoaster that has
been heartbreaking and surreal. To have such an atrocious action taken against our beloved Nala, then find out it was executed by a current police officer, then to feel like it is all simply being ‘covered up’ is nothing short of agonizing! We lay awake at nights replaying the tragic event over and over again in our minds. Our five-year-old son, Charlie, constantly asks us about Nala, wondering when she is coming back home. How do we explain this to him? It is extremely worrisome that a man (especially an officer) would be so irrational and quick to use lethal force against a family pet, especially in a tranquil neighborhood setting. Where is the “protect and serve” in this? The Cantrells live in our neighborhood, have they not seen Nala lying in the front yard with our family or going on runs with me? Mr. Cantrell shot Nala right across the street from our house, as she ran up to greet his pit-bulls(/mix). Witnesses saw it! I don’t understand the urgency to kill --- he had to have known she was no real threat. He is a police officer for goodness sake...he must be expected to know better, to do better! There needs to be some accountability for such reckless actions.
We just want to find some sort of justice for Nala and peace of mind in our neighborhood...

Sincerely,
John and Brittany Knudsen

#JusticeForNala

Organizer and beneficiary

Courtney Gemmill
Organizer
Spring Hill, KS
Brittany Knudsen
Beneficiary

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