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30 thoughts on “2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Sustains Devastating Injuries in Detroit Pit Bull Mauling; Dies While Hospitalized

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  1. It shouldn’t take someone being killed for animal un-control to do something about vicious dogs repeatedly running loose. I hope the family sues the dogs owners AND animal control.

      • The family has representation — they are in good hands. The CBS piece indicated they have already filed a lawsuit against the city of Detroit (or given notice to). Governmental immunity makes it difficult to sue cities and counties. Given the history of these dogs, criminal charges are possible (this state has a felony dog attack law).

        However, I did read that the child’s bite was ruled “provoked” and “non-severe” so that bite would not qualify under Section 1(a). But one of the other bites might. The attorney did say that what he has uncovered is “shocking.”

        • Good. Because ACs that don’t follow the available laws, city officials that ignore the obvious danger, shelters that adopt out dogs they know to be dangerous and the negligence of the pitbulls actual owners need to be held accountable.

          None of that will bring back the father of these children but at least they hopefully will not live impoverished childhoods due to the loss of their father and the negligence of those who should have been overseeing their best interests.

          • Is it petty to hope some of financial comeuppance lands on Mark Kumpf personally?

            I don’t just want the tax payers to suffer.
            Mark actually, personally having to pay for his inaction and incompetence is long overdo.

            It is also very unlikely.

    • You are 100% correct! Sadly, too many places have a law that allows one bite. But, they should have been more proactive about this, definitely!

  2. So disgusting, all the previous offenses these people had with their hideous dogs, and nothing happened until this poor man died. Although still not sure anything WILL happen, tickets aren’t going to inspire change. They didn’t in the past. Those people belong in prison, all their property/wealth now belongs to this man’s family, and they should never be allowed to own another dog if/when they get out of prison. Why do people still want to keep these dogs?!

  3. Poor man dying by vicious dogs just walking home like normal people.notice in the news they never mention that they were pitbull all he said was he was attacked by three dogs .if they put down the pitbull earlier from the previous attack maybe just maybe Harold still be alive all they do is give them citations that nothing to them.

  4. I hope they win and the $$$ comes out of the Animal Control Budget. Maybe budget cuts will force them to euthanize rather than hold indefinitely maulers.

  5. I’m moved and I’m sorry. I live in rural Ohio and this certain breed has attacked my dog x 2, and they chase people around the neighborhood. The owners feel like they are there just like other dogs. I’ve been around dogs all my life, and I’ve never seen this from another breed. These dogs took down a grown man like a pack of wild animals. When you call animal control they treat it like a dog bite. The county I live in the dog warden is a Pit Nutter, and they just built a 3 million dollar non tax payer funded facility that houses half pitbulls.

  6. My hope is that the City of Detroit is held accountable with a verdict for judgement in excess of $100 million. The number has to be large enough to be newsworthy so other cities and counties pay attention.

    • Technically, a lot of this did happen on Kumpf’s watch too — the previous attacks and returns to dog owners. Recall that the city of Detroit hired him while he was still being sued in Montgomery County, OH, by Klonda Richey’s estate for his failed policies. He was also accused of destroying county records to harm discovery in that lawsuit (“Kumpf and the Animal Resource Center “willfully and with malicious purpose destroyed highly relevant public records with intent to disrupt plaintiffʼs existing lawsuit against defendant Mark Kumpf,”). Even the pit bull groups in Detroit protested the city hiring him. Fieger Law should have a compelling case to put forward.

  7. Pitbulls should be outlawed and the breed should be extinct. Too many injuries and deaths from them. I don’t care what people say they’re genetically predisposed to do this.

  8. This man’s sons are going to grow up one day and see the picture of their father in that hospital bed, helpless, with all of those tubes coming out of him, and his arm swollen to three times it’s size…..and they’re going to be angry. Really – really angry.

    Laws on the books mean nothing if they are not enforced. The female owner of the dogs had a warrant out for her arrest because she was a no-show in court in a dog bite related incident. What good is issuing a warrant, if it is never executed? The fallout from this such reach to the Mayor. He is in charge and it happened on his watch. Detroit residents say these dogs are uncontrolled and out all over the city, menacing the residents and attacking them. Fines are laughable. Mr. and Mrs. Goodman should be charged with first degree murder.

  9. I wonder if Mark Kumpf even left a sternly worded post it note on their door or a firm voicemail message?

    That is probably too much like work.

    I hope the city has to pay out bigly.
    It seems Mark’s employers have to do that quite often.

    I doubt the owners have a pot to pee in or a window to dump it out.

    They had money for 4 dogs but doubt they had homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.

    • I see that he wasn’t in charge when this attack happened.

      His inaction certainly did not help matters.
      If the earlier attack had been handled correctly (all dogs removed and PTS owners banned from getting more) this one would not have happened.

      I see Mark is now training animal control officers.
      Talk about “Those who can do, do. Those who can’t, teach.”

  10. Seeing the same cycle repeated over and over becomes overwhelming after awhile. I hope you have lots of support and practice good self-care, Colleen.

    This one hit me especially hard for some reason. I ran across the news video on YouTube a few days ago. Those sweet kids broke my heart. So brave, such a loving family. They should still have their father. Only 35 years old!

    This problem makes me feel helpless, but I appreciate the work you do. We have to keep fighting to bring awareness one person at a time.

  11. I hope the family gets such a windfall from the city that the city goes bankrupt. It’s the only language they’ll understand. Then maybe they’ll understand that these dogs do not belong in any kind of residential area.

  12. Is it petty to hope some of financial comeuppance lands on Mark Kumpf personally?

    I don’t just want the tax payers to suffer.
    Mark actually, personally having to pay for his inaction and incompetence is long overdo.

    It is also very unlikely.

  13. If the pit bull owners were renters and had no or inadequate insurance, the victim’s family will collect NOTHING. Even animal
    Control may be able to doge liability since the wife was a “no show” in court and they were following “due process”. How many peopme have to die before there is, at minimum, mandatory sterilization to “help” slow down the population of pit bulls and other breeds capable of causing death to humans and other animals???

    • One of my friends is a personal injury attorney here in Tucson. A few years ago, he handled a case in which the renters’ pit bull mauled a 3-year old.

      In my friend’s words, the child had his face ripped off.

      Although the tenants were judgment-proof, their landlords’ property insurer certainly wasn’t. And my friend won a $500k judgment in this case.

    • Darci, I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, I know.

      The answer is simple.

      Pitbulls need to be illegal. Period. The same way you can’t own a Tiger, you can’t own a pitbull. Phase them out if we must–but in 15 years ALL pitbulls will be confiscated and euthanized. Any presently in shelter/rescue/pound custody will be humanely euthanized. Immediately.

      We tried BSL here. It’s been over 20 years, there shouldn’t be a pitbull in sight yet here we are–the advert for the local shelter donations featured…you guessed it…a pitbull. They’re showing up all over and no muzzles in sight. At this point, they should be completely phased out since breeding them has been illegal for two decades.

      Making the ownership of pitbulls downright illegal will cause a disruption in dog fighting as they’ll have to rebreed new lines. Bye Bye making money off slaughter for awhile, anyway.

      It will stop these pitbull-nanny-clueless culties from running cover for the dog fighters (which is what they are doing) and put an end to shelters/rescues/charities shoveling these dogs onto the general public and free up cage space for say, some friendly beagles and hounds.

      It’s a win-win for dogs, for communities, for well-meaning dog shelters, for enforcement of laws against dog-fighters and for everyone BUT the pitbull loons.

  14. @Mark (couldn’t add another reply so I’m replying, here)

    Of course the owner of the dogs should be held liable, as well. If he actually has any money. Perhaps he owns the property where he kept the dogs–chances are…he doesn’t.

    There’s always going to of socially irresponsible people in the world but when laws exist to limit their impact on society, we also need to hold accountable those that turned away when called on to Do. Their. Jobs.

  15. Another heartbreaking case. Another heartbreaking story. We need laws that will hold dog owners criminally responsible when their dogs kill or maim.

  16. It is a good day when the owner’s of the dogs that killed Mr. Phillips are prosecuted for his death.

    A civil suit is next. I hope this family takes everything from the owners to help those 6 children live theirs lives, fatherless.

  17. It seems like Animal Control had a hand in this tragedy as well. I haven’t heard anything about them taking any responsibility. That dog should have been put down after it bit someone.

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