Heartbreak and Horror: Cop Forced to Draw Gun on Aggressive Dog After Meter Reader’s Fatal Mauling
- A police officer was forced to draw his gun on a ferocious dog at a Queensland property where a meter reader was brutally killed by two canines.
- Kane Minion, 42, was mauled to death by a bandog bullmastiff cross and a bullmastiff Rhodesian ridgeback cross while working at a Greenbank property in December 2022.
- The inquest into his tragic death heard that the property owners had left their teenage children in charge of restraining the dogs, but failed to warn Mr Minion of the potential danger.
A Queensland coronial inquest has heard the harrowing details of the fatal dog attack that claimed the life of meter reader Kane Minion. The 42-year-old father-to-be was mauled to death by two aggressive dogs at a Greenbank property in Logan, south of Brisbane, in December 2022.
Acting Sergeant Leah Griffiths from the Logan Criminal Investigation Branch told the inquest that her investigation did not result in a recommendation for criminal charges to be laid in relation to Mr Minion’s killing. However, the court heard that the property owners had failed to warn Mr Minion of the potential danger posed by the dogs.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) investigator Tom Shephard told the inquest that a text message was not sent to the owners of the property to advise them that Mr Minion would be attending. He said this could have contributed to Mr Minion’s tragic death. “To my mind, he has entered the property thinking the dogs were restrained… on the day he did in fact skip properties that had unrestrained dogs,” Mr Shephard said.
The inquest heard that Mr Minion was under the false perception that the dogs were restrained on the day of the attack. He was found dead at the property alongside his smartwatch, sunglasses, and a handheld device issued by his employer for meter reading. Dog spray, which was provided to meter readers in south-east Queensland, was found in the glove box of his car.
A police officer who attended the scene reported that the dogs were “barking at them and they seemed quite heightened”. One officer was forced to draw his firearm, fearing he would need to destroy the dog. The two dogs responsible for the attack, a bandog bullmastiff cross named Dozer and a bullmastiff Rhodesian ridgeback cross named Scooby, were euthanased following the incident.
The inquest heard a heartfelt statement from Mr Minion’s family, describing him as a “wonderful man” who was “quirky” and loved to be at home with his fiancée, Toni Baird. “He would help anyone who asked and always tried to do the right thing,” the statement said. The inquest will continue on Thursday.