James Hurst, 92-years old, was brutally killed by his neighbor's two pit bulls.
DNA Confirmation
UPDATE 08/17/12: DNA results show that blood found on two pit bulls captured at the mauling scene matched the victim, according to Sheriff's Investigator Nathan Calloway.1 James Hurst died shortly after arriving at the hospital due to his grievous injuries. The two pit bulls had a history of escaping their yard a few houses down from the Hurst home. District Attorney Emily Redman was informed of the DNA results Thursday. The owners of the dogs have since left the jurisdiction.
04/10/12: Killed in His Front yard
Mead, OK - In a developing story, a Bryan County man was mauled to death by two pit bulls in his front yard. James Hurst, 92-years old, was discovered badly mauled and bleeding on his property Monday afternoon. Neighbors say the same dogs had been aggressive in the past. Bryan County Undersheriff Kenneth Golden said Hurst was working in his yard when he was attacked by the dogs. Golden says of all the dog attacks he has seen, he has never witnessed one this bad.
"Both feet, his face, his ears. His lips were gone. He didn't even look like the same person ... They eat him up real bad." - Neighbor Levi Duncan
Hurst also suffered "extensive injuries to his feet" -- both may have been torn off -- and was taken to a Durant hospital where he later died. Neighbor Judy Boone told reporters, "It's terrifying to know that you can't come out on your own front porch or stand in your own yard without being mauled and attacked." Neighbor Ryan Matlock, 11-years old, said that he had an encounter with one of these pit bulls -- "It crawled through a hole in the fence and got a hold of my leg."2
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Oklahoma Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.2A subsequent news article indicates that Ryan's bite was not reported.
Related articles:
02/20/12: What Happens When A Victim Does Not Report a Dog Bite?
09/28/11: 2011 Dog Bite Fatality: Ardmore Man Mauled to Death by Chained Pit Bull
06/15/11: 2011 Dog Bite Fatality: 74-Year Old Man Dies After Catastrophic Pit Bull Injury
Animal control fails again, and has blood on its hands.
Another example of why every aggressive encounter with dogs needs to be reported in writing to all authorities. Verbal or phone complaints are not enough. They will be hidden under the rug and denied by corrupt animal control/police departments.
If only the parents of that boy had filed formal complaints and sued the dog owner. This man would still be enjoying his life.
Add another "veteran standing in his yard" to the list of dead pit bull victims.
Oh My GOD; what a Horrable Murder directly connected to the dog owners who knew the dogs were bread to kill. I can't Fantom the suffering this American Veterian sustained…
Henry Piotrowski, Roy McSweeny…
This is like a horror story.
Nobody ought to die like this–eaten alive by animals? Are you kidding me?
People will be screaming for "justice," but I tell you what–justice can't be done here. There is no penalty that could even REMOTELY compensate for this abominable crime.
"Drug around the yard!" It could have been my mother! Jesus!
That poor man.
These dogs have got to go.
Justice would be having the owner of these dogs prosecuted for first degree murder. After all, he went out and — premeditated — got animals specifically bred to kill and that are killing in America daily. He already knew these specific pit bulls would try to kill people, since they'd attacked a boy. He apparently still let them roam the area, knowing they were deadly.
All this goes beyond reckless endangerment and such.
I bet if these cowards had to face serious jail time and/or the death penalty, the whole problem would be solved pronto.
Sputnik, that would be a dream come true. ALL nutters whose dogs kill and maim held seriously accountable for their vicious beasts. The comments on this story are very telling — people are truly getting fed up with the nutter nonsense and don't want to hear it any more. And more and more people are grabbing weapons and killing the maulers, because they know from all the other attacks that nothing else will stop these creatures.
Have you all seen this attack on an owner in the same area? http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/Woman_hospitalized_after_being_attacked_by_her_own_dogs_144119485.html
Good news is that the husband killed the beasts, in front of dozens of high schoolers that were holding a fundraising event at their school. The attacked wife is even in the comments defending the dogs and blaming the attack on the fundraisers! So typical. Her dogs send her to the hospital, and it's everyone's fault but hers and her mutants! These are the typical nutters that we are up against!
It is about time that we start holding owners of certain breeds of dog more responsible for their dog's actions. I'm willing to bet that in this case the owner or owners of these pit bulls will be slapped on the rist and nothing else will come from this. Owning a pit bull comes with certain expectations of the owner, that simply are not present with other dog breeds such as the Labrador Retriever and if you choose to own one of these dogs then you must step up to the plate!
But it is really, really nice to see how many people are now commenting that pit bulls need to be banned.
I feel this is due to the courage of people like DBO and Craven, then other bloggers who were inspired and followed suit — breaking through the Pol-Cor barrier, giving others the courage to say their thoughts out loud.
My thanks to all these courageous bloggers!
Mr Hurst is the 240th American killed by a Pit Bull or Rottweiler in the past 13 years since the CDC
Report.
The first CDC report was published in 1977
https://www.dogsbite.org/pdf/1977-human-deaths-induced-by-dog-bite.pdf
1974 5 fatalities
1975 6 Fatalities
Somehow the Humane Community seems able to ignore the acturials….
The man in this article was my grandfather. He did not deserve to die this way. I don't care how those beasts are raised, they all need to be put down. Yes, it is my personal opinion and yes a lot of people will disagree with it. But until this kind of horrific thing happens to you or someone you know don't judge me.
ahurst, please accept my deepest, sincerest sympathies. My heart aches for your family. No one here will judge you, because we all agree with you, and you will find nothing but support and compassion. Those who defend these beasts are not welcome here.
Ahurst, I am so sorry that this happened to your Granddad. Nobody should die in such a fashion. Nobody.
Following Opalina: Nobody from this website would ever judge you or your grandfather. There is nothing to judge.
Except the dogs and their owners.
My condolences to you and your family. I wish you all the best.
I guess DNA testing for Pit Bulls does work!
May Justice Prevail!
At this point these are no longer accidents, they are murders.