Humane Officer Barry Accorti shot to death a litter of kittens on Wednesday, June 10, 2013, telling a group of screaming children that the animals would be going to “kitty heaven”. But instead of firing the officer, the local police department cleared him of any wrongdoing.  

A humane officer shot a family of five kittens outside a North Ridgeville house on Monday and the homeowner says her young children saw the whole thing happen.

North Ridgeville humane officer Barry Accorti was dispatched to a house on Vista Lake Way after a resident complained about a family of cats living in her wood pile, police said. The homeowner said the feral cats were causing a flea problem in her house and that she wanted them removed for the health of her family. The homeowner and mother of four said Accorti told her the shelters were full and the cats would go to “kitty heaven.” That’s when he shot the five, 8 to 10-week-old kittens, with the woman standing nearby and her children watching from inside the house. She said her children, ages 5 months to 7 years, were screaming and crying at the sound of the gunshots. The mother cat ran away and was not killed.