Written by Brenda Jones
25/05/1985

A study recently released regarding the failed investigation into the Dog ‘n’ Mouse Shootings found that “Peter Marks’ incompetence as an "investigator” led to the case being closed down over three months ago, as questions over the 39-year-old’s handling of the investigation continue to arise.

The investigation, which involved over 10 of America’s top detectives, was closed on the 16th of March, exactly a year after the attack, after it was reported that the Pennsylvania Police Department had “made no progress whatsoever” since the attack in March last year.

“When I die, one of my biggest regrets will be having not brought the perpetrator of that horrific shooting to justice,” said the Chief of Police in response, “and I feel that that regret is shared by the numerous detectives, policemen and women who were involved in this case. However, unfortunately, we ran out of leads, and the numerous amounts of time spent by the entire force working on this case put immense financial strain on us as a police force. Not only that, but that case alone prevented us from dealing with smaller cases of crime in the area, which has not only raised questions regarding our competence as a police force, but also my own competence as a leader.

“I can assure you that we handled that case to the best of our ability, but unfortunately despite our best efforts, we came up short. Our failure as a force to find that shooter is a failure that will stick with me, as well as the rest of the force, for the rest of our lives. You put your trust in us to find him, and we failed to deliver. And for that we are deeply regretful and sorry.”

This is a very heavy blow for Marks, a public figure who has been admired and respected by many people for his commitment to his job, as well as the work he’s done towards victims of crime - helping them to find their feet again and rebuild their lives. He is known for his stubbornness- in a recent interview he named dropping the year-long investigation as “the toughest decision of my life”.

William Battersworth, found to be one of the prime suspects , the restaurant near which the shooting took place, also made a statement in response to the study. “I have read over the study recently released and would like to say that I completely agree with the study’s findings,” he said. “Let it be a wake up call to us all, and a constant reminder that our police force has long required, and much deserved a change in leadership so that the service can continue to run as smoothly and efficiently as it has over the past few years.”

The study comes over 15 months since an as-yet-unnamed shooter shot and killed 12 people outside of the highly-popular “Dog ‘N’ Mouse’s Food and Fun!”, owned by Mr. Battersworth, as families were leaving the restaurant with their children.

You can find the full story on page 9.