James Provost, 59-years old, was killed by pit bulls behind a residence in Albany, New York.
Man Killed by Dogs
Albany, NY - A man is dead after being attacked by multiple dogs -- the majority being pit bulls, police said. The fatal attack occurred Wednesday in the 500 block of Central Avenue at about 5:55 pm. Officers responded to reports of a man being attacked by several dogs. "Upon arrival, they observed the dogs fatally attacking the man, and in an attempt to stop the attack, one of the responding officers discharged his duty weapon, striking at least one dog," the department said in a press release.
Albany Police are currently investigating a dog attack that occurred this evening on the 500 block of Central Avenue.
On Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at around 5:55 p.m., officers responded to the 500 block of Central Avenue for reports of a male being attacked by several dogs. Upon arrival, they observed the dogs fatally attacking the man, and in an attempt to stop the attack, one of the responding officers discharged his duty weapon, striking at least one dog.
The male was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The name of the victim will not be released until proper notifications have been made.
All of the dogs have been accounted for, and the Albany Police Department are currently in the process of placing them in an appropriate homing facility.
At this time the investigation remains active and ongoing. More information will be released as it becomes available. - Albany Police Department
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name will not be released until his next of kin have been notified. All of the dogs have been accounted for; the department is "currently in the process of placing them in an appropriate homing facility." (That's an interesting choice of words, since an adoption center is called a "rehoming facility." We hope these dogs are not going to be rehomed.) A video being shared on social media shows the man being attacked by two dogs and collapsing.
According to an Albany Facebook page, the attack occurred in the backyard of a residence that is close to the car wash between Central Avenue and Bradford Street. "Currently on scene are multiple detectives, animal control officers, and officers ... Currently on scene there is what appears to be a person that did not survive." One commenter claimed to have a "buddy at Albany PD," who said the victim was a homeless man that tried to enter someone's backyard and got attacked by pit bulls.
WRGB captured the video on social media and blurred the images. The video was taken by a witness who heard the man crying for help. WRGB also took a still image from the video and blacked out the victim. You can see his foot on the left side, and you can see two muscular pit bulls in the process of mauling the man to death. In the last moments of his life, all he knew is that he was being ripped apart by the powerful jaws of pit bulls. It's literally a medieval death sentence. It's beyond horrifying.
Press Conference
On Thursday, the victim was identified as 59-year old James Provost of Schenectady. New details were released too. Officers responding to the scene found eight or nine dogs attacking Provost. An officer fired on an adult male dog, killing it, and dispersing the others. After rounding up the canines, police said there were 24 dogs, including 15 puppies. The dogs are owned by a "resident of Cohoes," a city 10 miles north, but were being kept by a caretaker in the backyard of 592 Central Avenue.
Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins confirmed during a news conference that police searched the property back in May after receiving a complaint about drug activity. At that time, five to seven dogs were confiscated, but not due to vicious behavior. They were later released. There are multiple units at the 592 property and multiple residents. The dogs were not being raised in a "family atmosphere," Hawkins said. “There are some very, very questionable activities going on at that place,” he said.
Provost was in the backyard of 594 Central Ave. The dogs, which were being kept at 592 Central Ave., got through the fence and attacked him.
The Albany County District Attorney’s Office is considering if criminal charges are warranted. “It was a horrific attack," Hawkins said. "Obviously, when you’re keeping that many animals in a location in violation of city ordinance, and some of those animals kill a person, there’s certainly a possibility for it." Investigators still do not know why Provost was at the 594 location or if he knew any of the residents. “We’re going to do everything we can to bring justice to this person who was viciously attacked."
Hawkins also explained the "homing facility" term. Police confiscated the dogs and determined where they will be held while police sort out the criminal aspects of the case. What ultimately happens to the dogs, will be determined by the courts. The Albany Police Department is not determining the outcome of these dogs. Police continue to have many unanswered questions. Multiple agencies are investigating, including the health department to determine if 592 Central Avenue is habitable.
This mashup shows the front facing car wash and homes, and the location of the attack.
Two views of the backyard (592) where the pit bulls were kept. The dogs got through the fence line and attacked Provost in the adjacent backyard (594) of a home painted green.
A still frame from a video showing an Albany man being killed by two pit bulls.
View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: New York Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.Related articles:
09/05/24: 2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Owner Charged After His 'Mastiff Breeds' Kill Homeless Man
08/14/24: 2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Husky Blamed for Deadly Dog Bite to Homeless Man in Fresno
12/29/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill Homeless Man at "Dirt World," a Transient Camp
My gosh day after day pitbull are killing people left and right.literally for the past three day pitbull kill a baby boy pitbull kill a baby girl now pitbull kill a men.I hate dying by multiple dogs killing me.he must be horrified knowing dogs is going to kill him and he can’t do anything about it is his fate.If pitbull are good dogs like the cult are saying how come every time when there a fatal dog attack 95 percent is pitbull is not poddle or king cavalier spaniel doing the killing.
A “rehoming facility”?? I hope they’re not going to adopt them out!!!
There was a press conference today that helped explain this! It’s complicated. There were 24 dogs.
Put. Mankilling. Dogs. Down. Like, IMMEDIATELY. This should NOT be difficult.
Yet it is. And the reason is the pervasive worship of dogs.
Unreasonable people will accept this mauling as if the death penalty were a just and deserved punishment for trespassing. “The dogs were simply doing their duty” is a common refrain as if we are dealing with a castle in the feudal 1400s or living in some marauder post-apocalypse hellscape where companion dogs are allowed to kill trespassers vs any other form of security measure. Even child victims are treated with this stupid phrase.
Why are people doing this? No one can handle a zillion dogs at once. What were the dogs doing? I assume there were a bunch of puppies and adults. So what was done with the dogs? This was a bunch of untrained dogs doing exactly what they wanted to do.
The dogs were there to guard a drug stash. Pit bulls are commonly used for this purpose.
That many dogs sounds like a hoarding situation. So it turns out the man wasn’t trespassing, they got through the fence. Poor man.
Yes — what confused us the most was the rear of the house painted green (594 Central Ave), where the attack occurred. It’s not painted green in the front. We made a new map here: https://blog.dogsbite.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/albany-man-killed-by-pit-bulls-map.jpg