Issue: Did Facebook Help or Hinder Justice in Defense Killing of Pit Bull?

It’s one thing to shoot and kill an attacking pit bull. It’s a whole other problem when you confess it on Facebook. 

That’s what Lee Pattison learned in Valencia Park after defending his own dog, getting bitten on the thigh and then using a shotgun blast to stop the dog from across the street.

“I really didn’t want to shoot the dog,”  Pattison, 24, told U-T San Diego on Tuesday. “After hitting the dog with the butt several times ... not even fazing the dog whatsoever, I really had no choice at that point.”

Earlier, he had posted on Facebook: “Well, I said if that dog came in my yard and attacked again I’d shoot it. So I did. I am not a pitbull advocate.”

Defenders far outweighed the critics, however. And the dog’s owner, 56-year-old June Wayne is facing charges.

As the Boston Marathon bombing episode showed, social media can serve justice—but also lead to grief when innocent people are unfairly targeted.  Whether the shooting was justified or not, was Pattison wise to confess on Facebook? Share your thoughts in the comments.