Posted on April 26, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Kills Male Owner in Bronx Apartment Building; Cops Fatally Shoot Dog

A pit bull killed its 41-year old male owner in a Bronx apartment building on Simpson Street.

Pit Bull Kills Owner
Bronx, NY - A 41-year old man is dead after being viciously attacked by his own pit bull. NYPD officers responded to a building in the 1200 block of Simpson Street in the Longwood neighborhood just after 3:00 am Friday morning. Upon arrival, they found the pit bull clamped onto the man's throat. Officers open fired on the dog multiple times, killing it. The man was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead. FNTV captured footage of NYPD police and detectives at the scene.

News 12 spoke to Debra Graham, who witnessed the attack. Graham warned the victim to get rid of the dog just days before the attack. "I said if you don't get rid of that dog, that dog's going to hurt you," she said. The victim had owned the dog for about 8 months. He kept it locked in a cage because it was vicious. "I don't know how the dog got out of the cage," she said, "but he did." Graham called 911. "One officer shot one shot, and one officer shot two shots, and the dog went down," Graham said.

An unidentified neighbor feared the male pit bull, "Max," even though the dog appeared calm. “I told him that dog was no good. It’s a pit bull, they go berserk,” he told the NY Post. The neighbor was concerned that he could been the one killed. "It could have been me. With any dog, they could turn any minute.” He said he hung out with the victim last night. "I was just with him last night," he said. "Everything was cool. He was cooking. Salmon cakes. It sucks. Here one day, next day you’re gone."

The victim has since been identified as 41-year old Kaeem Robinson.

The affordable housing building where the attack occurred entered the housing lottery just one year ago. It's unclear why a vicious pit bull locked in a cage, barking excessively, was allowable in the building. WABC reports that dogs must be registered with management. Robin's relatives were happy that he had finally found a home after years of struggles. Robinson previously lived in a shelter. What remains unknown is where Robinson acquired the dog, and if the dog came from the shelter system.

Robinson's sister, Kayesha Barnett, said she only recently found out about the dog. "We just found out about the dog ourselves, so we aren't too sure, we're trying to find out who he got the dog from, but that's all we actually know," Barnett said. Building resident Gilbert Durecou, who also called 911, told the NY Daily News he heard the vicious attack. "You could hear the biting," he said. "That dog was really tearing him up." Durecou said the cops had to "break the door down" to reach the victim.

The building where the fatal pit bull attack occurred, and the victim, Kaeem Robinson.

View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: New York Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

Baseline reporting requirements:
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Baby Boy Under the Care of a Babysitter Killed by Three Large Dogs in Duncanville, Texas

A baby boy under the care of a babysitter was killed by her three large dogs in Duncanville, Texas.

Babysitter's Dogs Kill Infant
Duncanville, TX - A 1-year old boy is dead after being attacked by three large dogs while under the care of a babysitter, police said. Officers were dispatched to a residence in the 1500 block on Lime Leaf Lane about 10:40 am for a report of a dog attack. The child was unconscious when officers arrived. He was rushed to Children's Medical Center in Dallas, where he died. Police described the dogs as "shepherd-mixes," weighing about 80 pounds each. The homeowner owns the dogs.

All three dogs were involved in the attack, police said. The dogs were confined to the property. "The dogs were not running loose," Duncanville Interim Police Chief Matthew Stogner said during the press conference. "The dogs were outside. 'Somehow' they made their way back inside the house" and attacked the baby. The dog's owner tried to free the boy from the dogs but was unable to. Neighbors said the woman who owns the home and dogs has been babysitting for family friends for years.

"The dogs were confined in the house. They were not loose. The resident at the location attempted to pull the dogs from the infant. Unsuccessfully. Until the officers got there. At which point she sustained some injuries as well. This is certainly a tragedy. Our fire personnel and police personnel worked very hard to try to save this child." - Duncanville Interim Police Chief Matthew Stogner

During the press conference, Stogner would not answer whether the home on Lime Leaf Lane was operating as a daycare. David Trout, a neighbor, told NBC 5 that he has a connection to the dog's owner; his brother used to be married to her. "She jumped in between and tried to, I guess, tear them apart," Trout said. Trout appeared shaken by the attack. "She’s a sweetheart, she means well, she’s taken care of kids down there forever without any kind of problems," Trout said. "I just hate it for her."

Stogner was asked during the press conference, "Any other incidents been there before?" Stogner answered, "No sir. Not involving the animals."

The baby, identified as Shiraz Asirvadam, did not live at the home. The relationship between the baby and the babysitter is unclear. Three other children were in the home when the dogs attacked, but they were unharmed. The babysitter was the only adult in the home, police said. Criminal charges are possible, authorities said. Police are working with the Dallas County District Attorney's Office and the family of the deceased baby to "figure out our best course of action moving forward," Stogner said.

On Tuesday, new details about the dogs emerged. One was male, weighing about 100 pounds and two were female, weighing about 80 pounds each. "The three dogs are now in quarantine pending surrender by the owner. If the owner does not surrender the dogs, the Duncanville Police Department will file with the court to have the animals declared Dangerous Dogs. The dogs will remain in quarantine pending the owner’s or a court’s final decision," Duncanville Police said in a statement.

"There were four children on the premises at the time of the incident. Only one child, who was not a resident of the household, was attacked.

Due to the severity of the injuries, Duncanville police officers provided an emergency escort while the child was being transported to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas by Duncanville Medics. Unfortunately, the child was pronounced deceased shortly after arriving at the hospital.

The homeowner owned four dogs. Three dogs were involved in the incident, one a male weighing approximately 100 lbs. and two females weighing approximately 80 lbs. each. Duncanville Animal Control has identified the three dogs as Sheppard mixes." - Vicious Animal Call Follow-Up, Duncanville Police, April 16, 2024

babysitter duncanville - dogs kill baby boy

The home on Lime Leaf Lane where a baby boy was killed by his babysitter's three large dogs.

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Three Pit Bulls with History of Aggression in Portsmouth, Virginia

A woman was killed by three pit bulls with a history of aggression in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Pit Bulls Kill Woman
Portsmouth, VA - A woman is dead after being mauled by three pit bulls in the middle of the night, police said. Portsmouth police responded to a residence in the 1800 block of Atlanta Avenue just after 1:30 am Friday. Arriving officers found the woman with life-threatening injuries. She was transported to a hospital, where she died. All three pit bulls were taken into custody, Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins said. The investigation is ongoing, but no other details are available at this time, Jenkins said.

“It is still early in the investigation. Obviously animal control and my detectives are looking into the facts and circumstances surrounding it." - Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins

WAVY reporter Brian Reese, spoke to neighbor Lawrence Davis, who confirmed the attack occurred at 1815 Atlanta Avenue. Davis said the woman was visiting the home at the time. The dog owner is a man, but Davis did not know his name. WVEC-TV spoke to neighbors who said the dogs have been involved in at least three prior acts of aggression recently, including biting a man and aggressively chasing children on bicycles. Police have not identified the owner of the dogs or the mauling victim.

Chief Jenkins later confirmed the previous attacks to WVEC-TV and suggested the victim had been trespassing. "It has come to light that Portsmouth Animal Patrol officers had indeed responded on three prior occasions over the last 12 months with one being for a bite injury," Jenkins said. The dogs were secure when the attack occurred, he said. "We urge residents to refrain from trespassing or attempting to interact with animals without explicit permission from their owners," Jenkins said.

Mauling Victim Identified

Neighbors and an eyewitness identified the victim as Cindy White, who is known by people who live in the home. According to the eyewitness, White walked into the home and moved the "bar and speaker" that were positioned to "barricade" the dogs in the back room. Then White went into the back room, where she was viciously attacked by the dogs. A woman who lives a block over could hear White's screams, WAVY reports. Apparently, White had been trying to visit a man who lives in the back room.

After hearing White's screams, some associates of hers came over to the house, neighbors said, and attacked the man who was sleeping in the back room. “Some people jumped on the person who lives in the house,” Davis explained. “They blame him, and they beat him up ... He was taken to the hospital ... and I don’t know the status.” WAVY shot drone video from above the house and captured images inside the home too. A person who lives in the home, shot pictures from a reporter's cell phone.

White had multiple Facebook pages. Friends and family members tagged her most recent one after learning about her death. One of her older Facebook pages appears to show her in the backyard of the home at 1815 Atlanta Avenue. On April 13, White's sister, Tamika, hosted a balloon release for White using white and gold balloon colors. White turned 50-years old on October 28, 2022, making her 51-years old at the time of her death. Portsmouth police did not release White's age or her name.

Covid Fatality in Portsmouth

Back in March of 2020, just as the Covid crisis erupted, Demi Witherspoon, 2-years old, was killed by a family pit bull in Portsmouth. That attack occurred in the 5600 block of Darby Close, about 15 miles to the northwest of this location. At that time, we reported that the dispatcher for Portsmouth Police and Fire stated in the audio log files on Broadcastify.com: "We have a pit bull who just bit the complainant's daughter's face completely off." There were no relevant audio dispatch log files for the recent attack.

Home on Atlanta Avenue where three pit bulls with a history of aggression killed Cindy White.

WAVY footage shows the "barricaded" entrance to the back room with a "bar and speaker."

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Virginia Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

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 After Violent Pit Bull Mauling

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

1After the video went viral, the YouTuber shut down the ability to "embed" the video in blog posts like ours.
2U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities 2020-2023 - DogsBite.org

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