YouTuber Reviews Dramatic Fort Dodge Police Bodycam Footage After Violent Pit Bull Attack in November 2023

A Youtuber reviews the extended Fort Dodge Police bodycam footage of the November 24, 2023 violent pit bull attack of Brittany Skoland. All graphic scenes have been heavily blurred.

Watch Extended Video1
Fort Dodge, IA - Last fall, police shot and killed three pit bulls to stop them from killing Brittany Skoland. A YouTuber recently obtained the police bodycam footage. At about 11:25 am, an officer responded to a home in the 800 block of South 16th Street after reports of a person screaming. Upon arrival, the officer found the dogs attacking a woman in the front yard. He shot and killed the dogs, ending the attack. Skoland was rushed to a hospital then airlifted to Iowa Methodist Medical Center.

Rosemary Possehn, a neighbor, told KCCI, "I was sitting in my living room, and I was just sitting in there and all of a sudden I heard bang bang bang, and I come to the door and I seen all the cops, well there was only one at the time, and I seen the lady laying on the ground and the dogs going at her and the cops shot them. And it was quite a few rounds of ammunition to get them down." A GoFundMe was started for Skoland. Family members said, "She will lose both her feet, due to this attack."

A December update to the fundraiser described her injuries further. "She has had both legs amputated to her knees," the organizer wrote. "Brittany did not need surgery on her hands as we had originally thought. However, she is going to need facial reconstruction surgery, she also has serious head trauma and much more." The fund raised over $35,000. Part of the funds were designated for widening doorways, "to accommodate a wheelchair and a ramp" to allow her to go in and out of the house."

Skoland had been visiting the home on South 16th Street where the dogs lived, authorities said. "These dogs attacked the victim while she was inside the home of the dog owner, alone with the animals," according to a statement issued by Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll. Skoland had visited the home in the past and was familiar with the dogs. The Webster County attorney determined that no criminal acts took place. The owner of the dogs was not publicly identified by police.

"The law enforcement investigation into the dog attack in Fort Dodge on November 24 has been completed. These dogs attacked the victim while she was inside the home of the dog owner, alone with the animals. Law enforcement responding to the scene shot and killed all three dogs involved in the attack. There was nothing revealed during the investigation to indicate that any criminal act occurred. This is a shocking tragedy and we wish the victim strength as she recuperates from her injuries." - Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll

On December 5, KCCI published parts of the police bodycam video. "I put three dogs down, she's in bad shape," states the officer. The officer shot the dogs within 30 seconds of arriving. If he had not, Skoland may not have survived. Skoland had gone to the home to visit the dogs' owner, who turned out not to be home. The dogs were properly secured inside the home when Skoland arrived. The attack began inside the home then moved to the front yard, where police shot and killed the dogs.

Extended Bodycam Footage

The YouTuber shows the extended footage with his annotations. After the officer shoots the dogs, police at the scene say, "This woman is tore to shit by these three. Badly, like, you can see her bones." Another officer says, "Pieces of her everywhere. They were eating her. I bet if they did autopsies, she's in their guts." Immediately, police observed how the pit bulls consumed parts of the victim. We've noted this same behavior in multiple other pit bull attacks -- even attacks involving a single pit bull.

Notably -- not shown in the KCCI bodycam footage -- is that one of the three pit bulls did not immediately die after being shot by a police firearm. As responders begin to move the victim, police must shoot that dog again. Thus, Possehn's statement, "It was quite a few rounds of ammunition to get them down," takes on more accuracy. Turns out, there were more pit bulls inside the home too. Police must enter the "foreboding residence" to make sure that "nobody else is terminated in there."

Police also talk to neighbors about who lives at the home. One states, "They have like six dogs." So, there are two or three more dogs in the house. Another neighbor states, "We have complained about these dogs for years." But police are continually drawn back to the attack scene. As the video's narrator states, "The responding officers cannot stop describing the extent of the woman's injuries, relating horrifying details again and again, perhaps in an effort to come to terms with it themselves."

While at the scene, the officer that shot the dogs "did a recount." He fired 12 bullets. "I'm pretty confident that I hit every single shot that I took," he said.

More police and animal control officers arrive at the scene. One grabs a shovel, "to keep in front of me" as they prepare to go into the home. Then she uses a small table as a shield instead. The AC officers find an emaciated female pit bull in the kitchen, who might have recently had puppies. The conditions inside the home are dismal. Meanwhile, the victim's cellphone has been ringing. Police finally answer it. The caller is one of Skoland's daughters screaming, "Where is my mom?" Police have to tell her.

After a second female pit bull is removed from the home, an officer observed, "So all of the males were out here attacking and all the females were inside?" Most dog bite statistics we have reviewed over the last 17 years show a significant male dominance -- most recently 72% male to 28% female. Neutered or not isn't as relevant. The chief statistic is male vs. female. In fatal dog attacks, when gender is known, and when only counting attacks involving 1 dog, males dominate 84% to 16%.2

Summary

Overall, police made excellent assessments. The first being the speed and accuracy of the officer's shooting. The officer entered a high-stress, high-risk situation and within 30 seconds had shot all three dogs, stopping the attack. "I'm pretty confident that I hit every single shot that I took," he said after firing 12 times. We believe him. The same officer was also the first to spot that one of the shot pit bulls was still alive and a threat. Pit bulls routinely survive single and even multiple gunshots.

Another observation by police -- the pit bulls actually consumed parts of the victim (pack attack involving human predation) -- was also accurate. "They were eating her. I bet if they did autopsies, she's in their guts," one officer said. It's unknown if necropsies were performed on the dogs. Police also observed that only the male dogs were involved in the attack. "So all of the males were out here attacking and all the females were inside?" the officer asked. We are not surprised by this.

The female AC officer used a table as a shield to enter the home. It was such a simple self-defense action. Recall that a dozen responders, including armed officers, stood outside a home for 37 minutes while Jacqueline Durand was being mauled by two dogs. None of them thought to grab a shield and "GO IN" to rescue her. Finally, the ringing phone. Police do not answer Skoland's phone until the dogs have been removed. The officer that answered that call may have had the most difficult job of all.

Dramatic Fort Dodge Police bodycam footage after a violent pit bull mauling in November.

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