Posted on January 20, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Pit Bull Owner Charged with Felony Involuntary Manslaughter

Pit bulls killed Logan Braatz, 6, and gravely injured Syrai Sanders, 5, in Atlanta.

City Leaders Respond
UPDATE 01/19/17: On Tuesday morning in southwest Atlanta, a group of children walked along Cerro Street on their way to the school bus stop when two loose pit bulls launched a horrifying attack. The dogs eviscerated 6-year old Logan Braatz, who did not survive his injuries, and critically injured 5-year old Syrai Sanders -- the pit bulls ripped off her scalp. Both children were students at F.L. Stanton Elementary. The aftermath of this attack was captured by aerial footage.

The owner of the pit bulls, Cameron Tucker, was taken into custody and charged with several misdemeanors. The charges were upgraded the next day to include involuntary manslaughter, a felony. Tucker's next court appearance is scheduled for February 1, according to news reports. Two witnesses on scene, Angie Smith and Shamonta Clayton, provided chilling accounts about what happened that morning. A formal community vigil is planned for Saturday on Stafford Street.

Response from City Officials

In the wake of this savage attack, the Atlanta Public School system (APS) announced that it would add a new bus stop. "APS Transportation immediately conducted a safety assessment and plans to add a new bus stop within the one-mile walk zone to ensure the safety of our students," states the release provided to WSB-TV. The children in the neighborhood previously had to walk past an abandoned house and through some woods to reach the bus stop, according to Logan's uncle.

Just hours after the deadly attack, Atlanta City leaders began discussing legislation to prevent future maulings. Councilwoman Keisha Bottoms introduced legislation that recognizes local governments can enact stricter dog regulations than the minimum standards of state law. These new regulations have not yet been determined, but ideas include restricting owners of dangerous breeds from living near a school or school bus stop, or requiring these owners to have a fence.

"These children are living in fear, rightfully so. These dogs are predators." - Atlanta City Councilwoman Keisha Bottoms, Fox 5 Atlanta, January 18, 2017

Bottoms promised that over the next week, councilmembers would discuss the dangerous dog issue on many levels. "We are going to delve into state law, county law, city law and see what, if anything, we can do and it is absolutely of no solace to this family, but I do hope that it will at least stop this from ever happening again," said Bottoms. Two days after the deadly attack, Bottoms met with nervous neighbors close to where the attack happened and promised to contact APS.

"Border Collie" and "Unidentified Breed"

Six or seven hours after the horrific attack on Tuesday -- after many news articles were already published, along with photographs and video of the two pit bulls -- Fulton County Animal Control relayed information via phone to reporters that the dogs involved in the attack were a pit bull-mix, "border collie" and "unidentified breed." The police report stated the two dogs involved are a pit bull and pit bull-mix. Fulton County Animal Control alone is culpable for this grave obfuscation.

In high profile fatal dog attacks, we understand that information can initially be relayed poorly or even incorrectly, but in this case it is a sham. The police report states the correct breeds of dogs, a pit bull -- the bloody black dog -- and a pit bull-mix, the white and black dog. Images of both dogs were captured before, during and after being loaded into the animal control truck. A third dog was also seized by animal control, apparently a poor border collie, but no media images captured it.

CBS46 spoke with Tucker's attorney, who said that Tucker lives with his fiance, mother, mother-in-law, and six-month-old daughter. "The two other family members that are a part of the family are the two dogs that are in custody," attorney Cinque Axam said. The family does not own three dogs -- just the two the media captured being taken into custody. Also, though the white and black pit bull-mix is not pictured in Tucker's 2012 Facebook post, the coloring indicates close lineage.

01/18/17: Involuntary Manslaughter
The owner of two dogs that killed a boy and severely injured a girl is now facing a felony charge. On Wednesday, Cameron Tucker was charged with felony involuntary manslaughter in connection to the death of 6-year old Logan Braatz. A judge set his bond to $70,000. The surviving child, 5-year old Syrai Sanders, remains hospitalized. Officials said the dogs severed her scalp from her skull. A witness who saw the child after the attack said, "Her face was totally dismembered."

Another witness, Shamonta Clayton, who carried Logan's body to the ambulance, also described Syrai's injuries. "I run up on the little girl and she had been mauled very badly -- the dog just had ripped into her," he said. Then he saw Logan, his unconscious body lying in the grass. "I picked the child's body up, because his mom couldn't do nothing except to sit there and cry. I carried his bloody body to the ambulance," he said. Clayton also said the dogs commonly roamed the area.

"If a prosecutor is aggressive, they could charge him with cruelty to children in the second degree. And for any child that dies, bring it up to murder." - Attorney Page Pate, 11alive.com (WXIA), January 18, 2017

Also, despite numerous images of the dogs taken by the media yesterday, Fulton County Animal Control claims that of the three dogs, one is a "border collie" and the other is an "unidentified breed." Tucker is not a border collie type, but he is a pit bull type, according to his own Facebook page. We do not know which dog animal control is claiming to be a border collie or unidentified breed. If it is the white and black pit bull-mix that would be an outrageous and deliberate distortion.

01/17/17: Children Identified
On Tuesday, as a group of children walked along Cerro Street in southwest Atlanta to their school bus stop, up to three loose pit bulls brutally attacked them. Logan Braatz, 6-years old, died of his injuries. Syrai Sanders, 5-years old, suffered horrific facial damage. Angie Smith, who witnessed part of the attack said the little girl's "face was totally dismembered." Syrai is being treated at Egleston Hospital. A third child sustained minor injuries in the attack, according to police.

The owner of the pit bulls, Cameron Tucker, was arrested on two misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct. Police shot and hit one pit bull that tried to flee the scene, the black dog. The animal was later captured. A white and black pit bull was also taken into custody. Investigators are trying to determine if a third pit bull (belonging to someone else) was also involved in the deadly mauling. The children attended F.L. Stanton Elementary. Earlier the school released this statement:

"Atlanta Public Schools can confirm that two F.L. Stanton Elementary students walking to the bus stop were attacked by pitbulls. Both students were transported to Egleston Hospital. One student was transported back to Grady Hospital’s trauma unit and later passed away. The female student at Egleston is in stable condition. Atlanta Public Schools sent a crisis team to F.L. Stanton this morning to provide grief counseling for students and staff. Our deepest condolences go out to the family." - F.L. Stanton Elementary School

SIDEBAR: We were shocked earlier to see that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution had named the breed in their report, much less in their headline -- that is how pit bull sympathetic they are, and have been for years. In their latest update, at the bottom of the article is a large video of a shelter pit bull with a message on the front: "A majority of pit bulls in shelters have no history of violence, their owners voluntarily surrender them." Pimping for pit bulls after these brutal child maulings!

A major regional newspaper in Georgia is perpetuating the Nanny Dog myth and pleading, "Dear public, please adopt our unwanted shelter pit bulls," after two pit bulls savagely attacked and killed a little boy and "dismembered" a little girl's face. The most recent medical study highlighting the severity of pit bull injuries was a retrospective review of 1616 consecutive child dog bite injuries at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston (CHOA) where both injured children were sent.

01/17/17: Pit Bulls Kill Child
Atlanta, GA - Pit bulls killed one child and critically injured another as they walked to school Tuesday morning. A third child was also injured, but his condition is unclear. The children were ages 5 to 6 years old. The deadly attack occurred in the 1200 block of Gideons Drive in southwest Atlanta at about 7:20 am. Three pit bulls killed a little boy and critically injured a girl. Neighbors flew outside after awaking to screams. Aerial footage captured the horrific aftermath of the attack.

"I looked down at her to see what I could do for her. And when I looked at her, I knew that there was nothing I could do." - Witness Angie Smith

Police officers shot and killed one pit bull and the two others were taken into custody by animal control. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that authorities have arrested the dogs' owner. Sgt. Warren Pickard said the children were walking with a group of children to school when the pit bulls attacked. "We had some brave kids. Some kids ran back to the scene to try to pull the dogs off the children that were injured," Pickard said. Neighbors also intervened to rescue the children.

WGCL-TV reports the children attend F.L. Stanton Elementary School, and were walking to their school bus stop when they were attacked. Aerial footage from a chopper shows a white and black pit bull sitting in a nearby driveway. A black pit bull, photographed on a nearby porch, was also involved, according to police. The dogs lived about a block away from the attack, police said. Fox 5 reports neighbors rushed to the scene with a baseball bat and knives to stop the mauling.

Angie Smith speaks to reporters near the scene (@johnspink):

Smith: "I ran to the baby and I said, I looked down at her to see what I could do for her. And when I looked at her, I knew that there was nothing I could do."

Reporter: "Was she gone at that point?"

Smith: "I couldn’t tell if she was gone. I just knew, she had on a jacket and a book bag so I couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. I think that kind of saved her skin. I knew that her face was totally dismembered.

Reporter: "Have you ever seen the dogs before?"

Smith: "I actually saw the dogs Saturday. They were running around. I told myself, 'I should call the humane society because dogs are just roaming. But by the time they get here, the dogs will probably be gone and they don't usually look for them.' And so, I did not call. This is just so unfortunate.

Reporter: "Did you hear anything beforehand?"

Smith: "Yes. I heard the kids screaming. The kids were screaming very loudly, but they usually in the morning -- because they walk to the bus stop -- they are sometimes loud and they are playing, they are chasing each other. So, I sat there for a couple of seconds, because I was like, maybe the kids are playing. But after a few minutes, maybe two minutes or so, I realized that the kids weren't playing. It was a different kind of cry. It was a different kind of screaming. Then I heard adults screaming as well, so that prompted me to come outside."

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

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 January 18, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Infant Killed by Family Dog in San Marcos, Texas

2-month old Skylar Dean Julius died after being attacked by the family dog.

Father Refused Tests
UPDATE 01/20/17: The San Marcos Police Department issued an update today. Investigators continue to await autopsy results from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office about an infant that was killed by the family German shepherd Tuesday. "Preliminary findings do not show old trauma, such as previous broken bones, bruising, or other injuries, that could be indicative of prior abuse, or other indicators of injury that would be suspicious to investigators," states the release.

The father would not consent to testing for drugs or alcohol. - San Marcos PD

"Police found that there was not enough probable cause to obtain a warrant for blood tests on the father for drugs or alcohol. The father would not consent to testing for drugs or alcohol," states the release, which certainly appears to be a huge red flag. Many people are wondering how the father slept through this horrible event. The investigation remains active and ongoing. The results of the investigation will be sent to the Hays County District Attorney’s office for review, states the release.

01/18/17: Infant Killed by Dog
San Marcos, TX - Police are investigating after a 2-month old baby was killed by a family dog. Authorities identified the baby girl as Skylar Dean Julius. Animal control officers impounded a German shepherd that was inside the home. On January 17, at about 1:30 pm, police and EMS were dispatched to the 1000 block of Sagewood Trail for a report of a baby with "numerous animal bites." She was transported to Central Texas Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The father told police he fell asleep while the baby was sleeping in a bouncer bassinet next to him on the couch. He woke up about 20 minutes later and found her cold to the touch, unresponsive and on the floor. San Marcos Police Department Commander Kelly Earnest said 911 dispatchers helped the father administer CPR over the phone. The dog bites were mainly concentrated in her abdomen area, Earnest said. The family had owned the German shepherd for more than 8-years.

Earnest said the baby's mother was not home when the fatal attack occurred; she was at work. The infant's death continues to be an active investigation. Autopsy results from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office in Austin are expected in the coming days. Child Protection Services is also investigating her death, which is routine when a child this young dies in a home. There were no other children living in the home. The family had recently moved to the area, Earnest said.

CBS Austin shows the news conference given by Earnest. The family had raised the male dog since it was a puppy, she said. The family told her it did not have a history of aggression. Police had never been called to the home before and they did not find anything suspicious at the scene, she said. When asked by a reporter how a father could sleep through this event, she said, "Still very new. Those are questions we would love to know, but they are unanswered at this point."

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

"Just Lean On Me" - Cleveland Heights Police Officer

Caution dog attack victims! This video may cause you to relive your attack.

Raw Bodycam Video
DogsBite.org - Nearly one year ago today, on January 24, 2016, a Cleveland Heights police officer rescued a young woman who had just been attacked by a vicious pit bull. Prior to reaching the victim, the officer shot and killed the violent animal. Several days later, the Cleveland Heights Police Department released this dramatic bodycam video showing how this officer came to her aid. The young woman is not gravely injured, and surely is partly why they chose to release it.

This video is not intended for dog attack victims. It is for victims to send to friends and family who do not understand the gravity of your attack.

The immediate and stunning raw footage shows the first three minutes after the attack. The young woman is in shock and believes she is dying. Nearly all victims of serious dog attacks believe they are dying; that is how violent these attacks are. The police officer tells the victim she is going to be okay. "Stay with me, look at me, look at me, stay with me. You're okay," he says. He quickly tells her too that the life-threatening event is over. "The dog's right there. It's dead. I had to shoot it."

An officer arrived and saw the dog biting the woman's arm. The dog then jumped on the woman and tried to bite her neck.
The officer pushed the dog off the woman. The dog charged at him, and he fired a shot that hit the animal's neck, the report says.
The dog backed off before trying to attack the officer again. The officer fired a second shot that hit the dog below its eye. The dog collapsed. - Cleveland.com, January 29, 2016

After we watched this video last year, and cried a thousand tears, we wrote to the Cleveland Heights Police Department, thanking them for releasing it. At that time we did not place it on the blog, fearing too many of our readers who have suffered a serious dog attack would react the same way. That fear still holds true today. This video is so tactile that it may cause victims to relive their own attack. We mean that too. It could unleash a torrent of powerful emotions and tears.

The video shows the vulnerability of a traumatized victim and the comforting words of this officer, "Just lean on me." That is truly how it happens and what first responders do every second of every day in our country when responding to life-threatening emergencies. In this instance, the officer arrived just in time too, shooting the pit bull and averting additional injuries. But arriving just in time is not always possible and is another reason why some cities regulate this dog breed.

The video also shows how the officer helps the victim breath. "In your nose, out your mouth. In your nose, out your mouth," he says while placing his hand on her shoulder to stabilize her. "Stay awake for me. The ambulance is coming," the officer says. At this time (about 2 minutes and 20 seconds in), more police officers arrive and a siren is faintly heard in the background. The officer quickly explains to the others what happened. The bodycam video ends when the firemen arrive.

Portion of our letter to Cleveland Heights Police Chief:
There are two extremely jarring, but heavenly moments in a violent dog attack. The moment you realize you are not dead, and the moment you realize you will be okay. That is exactly what that video showed and the part of my own attack experience that came back to me. The victim had not reached this point yet, but the officer had and the viewing audience had too. We knew she was safe and was going to be okay.
Watching the officer help this young woman was just sheer powerful awesomeness! Up close, intimate and hands on. The way it really goes down!
Thank you and God bless the Cleveland Heights Police Department! - Colleen Lynn, Founder of DogsBite.org, January 29, 2016

A day after the news media aired the raw footage, Chante Pray, 22, spoke with Fox 8 Cleveland. She describes the attack as the media cuts back to the video. "I'm dying, that's all I could think was, that I was dying," she said. The dog was "clamping down tighter" as she struggled to get away, she explained. Pray was amazingly able to call 911 and shout out the address. Moments later, Cleveland Heights police officer Everett Haworth arrived on scene and shot the pit bull.

Holding back tears, Pray says, "I really appreciate the officer saving me, because if he wouldn't have saved me, I wouldn't be with my daughter. My daughter would not have a mom." At the time of the attack, the pit bull was "supposed" to be in quarantine after biting a child on January 13. Pray knows the dog's owner and believes the false myth, "It's all how they're raised." After Pray was attacked, police cited the owner for keeping a vicious dog and failing to have insurance.

This story is not over. Several days later, Pray thanks Officer Haworth in person at the police station, where she runs into an unexpected event.

On February 2, Pray and her mother went to the Cleveland Heights Police Department bearing gifts. They brought him balloons, stuffed animals, a photo of Pray with her daughter and a box of chocolates. At about one minute into the sweet reunited video, a police K-9 passes behind Pray with an officer. Like a sudden rogue wave, a blanket of fear engulfs her. She lets out a long breath. Pray said it was the first contact she had with a dog since the pit bull attack on January 24.1

Pray's mother thanked Officer Haworth as well. "You were there, pretty much almost stroking her hair, telling her everything was going to be okay. You were there when I couldn't be," Michelle Augustine-McClendon said. Officer Haworth replied that he did what he thought she needed. "She'd just been through something pretty traumatic," he said. Now Pray and her mother call Officer Haworth a "guardian angel." He says he was simply keeping his oath to protect and serve.

Marginalizing Victims

Many parts of our society marginalize victims of dog attacks and their injuries, even times family members and friends. Some go beyond marginalizing them by blaming them too, because in their minds, a dog cannot be a bad actor. This societal influence is so strong that even some victims cannot call a vicious dog a bad actor -- like Pray, who blamed the dog's owner for its actions. Pray also stated the pit bull "was not letting go," a trait the dog was selectively bred to perform.

Our call to action for victims is to share this blog post with those who marginalize or fail to grasp the gravity of your traumatic dog attack.

We know of only three groups who will not marginalize dog attack victims in any way. The first are the emergency responders who arrive at the scene, just like this video shows. The next are the medical doctors who treat the victims' injuries, which may include a long list of doctors with different specialties. The third are the personal injury attorneys who take their case -- assuming a case exists at all. Many dog bite victims have no case because the dog's owner lacks insurance.

The Power of this Video

In the 9 years of DogsBite.org, we have never seen a video as powerful as this one. It took us a full year before we were able to write about it too. This is the reality, in real time, showing what happens when first responders arrive to a 911 call about a vicious dog attack. In this case, after Pray was able to scream into her cell phone the location of the attack. Do not forget to look at the snow tracks and blood below either, which shows the struggle and violence during this attack.

Editorial note: We greatly thank Fox 8 Cleveland for following up and showing the full version of this honest and heartfelt story. Very seldom does a pit bull attack have a happy ending in this way. We again thank the Cleveland Heights Police Department for releasing this powerful video, and for the valor and amazing care by Officer Everett Haworth. We cried another thousand tears writing this post; they were bittersweet tears of pain and relief. As Chante Pray nears the first anniversary of her attack -- which is the hardest one of all -- our hearts go out to her. We hope she is surrounded by loving family on this day.

1On may truly have to be a dog attack victim to understand the magnitude of fear and the expression on Pray's face when the police K-9 passes by. This response would be to any medium or large-sized dog independent of breed.

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

72% of All Dog Bite Fatalities Had Breed Identification Images

Photographs of six fatally attacking dogs in 2016 obtained from multiple sources.

Jump down to view all 2016 breed identification photographs or read our analysis first.

DogsBite.org - In 2013, we began the tradition of publishing breed identification photographs of fatally attacking dogs when available through news reports, social media websites and law enforcement. Of the 29 dog bite fatalities recorded in 2016 -- 3 additional cases remain pending -- 72% (21) had identification photographs, up from 46% last year. Pit bulls and their mixes represent 76% of the images collected in 2016. Their close relatives, American bulldogs, represent 10%.

Combined, pit bulls, American bulldogs and their mixes represent 86% of all breed identification images obtained in 2016 after fatal dog attacks.

Of the 21 cases with breed identification photographs, 62% (13) were captured by news media, up from 44% last year. 43% (9) were located on social media pages of the dog's owner or family members and 10% (2) were supplied by animal control or sheriff's departments, down from 38% last year. Animal service departments in California, Florida and Connecticut did allow news media to photograph the dogs while quarantined in 5 other cases, raising that number from 10% to 33%.

Of all cases with breed identification photographs, 90% (19) involved dogs taken into custody and quarantined and 14% (3) where shot and killed on scene.1 Images of two dogs shot were located on social media pages of their owners. Of all 29 recorded dog bite fatalities, 24% (7) involved a pack attack of four or more dogs. Photographs of nearly all of the involved dogs were obtained in 71% (5) of these cases, indicating that even dogs in pack attacks can have identification images.

Breed Mislabeling Debate in 2016

In 2016, there was one instance where an animal control official deliberately manipulated breed information to confuse the public and protect pit bulls. Deputy Director Dan DeSousa of San Diego County Animal Services, long known for his pit bull sympathies, did so after a neutered pit bull-mix was rehomed by the San Diego Humane Society then killed a newborn baby. DeSousa first labeled the dog an "American Staffordshire terrier-mix" then later, a "great dane-terrier mix."

The other high-profile "breed confusion" debate in 2016 also occurred due to decisions by an animal control officer. After the horrific mauling death of Jocelyn Winfrey, 53, New Haven Animal Control Officer Joseph Manganiello initially refused to allow news media to view the two dogs that early reports stated were pit bulls. The media eventually got their way and clarified to the public the dogs were American bulldog-mixes (a pit bull-type dog) belonging to Dr. Hamilton Hicks.2

Photographs Are Supplemental

Identification photographs are a supplement to the hundreds of multi-sourced news reports that we collect each year for U.S. dog bite fatality victims and are listed on our Dog Bite Fatality Citations pages. Though we are still collecting news reports for 2016 -- criminal trials and more -- so far we have recorded 700 citations for 29 victims. That is more than last year, which had 34 fatality victims. Please glance over our 2016 Dog Bite Fatality Citations page to review its length.

News reports pertaining to fatal dog attacks -- with or without identification photographs -- are nearly always multi-sourced. This means that multiple parties have identified the dog's breed including, but not limited to: animal control officers, police officers or sheriff's deputies, other public safety officials, the dog's owner or family members, witnesses and even veterinarians. The images are often greatly helpful, but are also just one component of the overall information available.

Summary of 2016 Photo Trends

In 2016, the news media did an outstanding job in obtaining breed identification photos -- thank you! Of the four highest profile cases this year, only one, the death of a 7-year old boy, required extensive research by DogsBite.org to uncover an image of the dog, along with explaining the dynamics of an intrafamily backyard pit bull breeding operation. Of the 21 cases with identification images in 2016, DogsBite uncovered 29% (6) that otherwise were not published in the media.3

90% (19) of the cases with identification photographs involved dogs taken into custody and quarantined, yet in only 10% (2) of these cases were images directly supplied by animal control departments. It should be standard protocol after a fatal dog attack for officials to release photographs of the dogs when quarantined. The public should not have to rely on news media or social media websites for identification images after these dogs have been taken into custody.

More photos of larger sizes are often available at the indicated full blog post link for each victim.

2016 Fatal Dog Attack Breed Identification Photographs

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Tyler Trammell-Huston, 9-years old, was killed by his half-sister's three pit bulls after she left him alone with the dogs in a small trailer on January 3, 2016. Alexandria Griffin-Heady, 24, had hoped to "rescue" Tyler from the foster system.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Aiden Grim, 3-days old, was fatally bitten on the head by a family dog on February 7, 2016. Officials said the labrador-shepherd mix that belonged to the mother's brother tried to pick the baby up from a laundry basket causing fatal brain injuries.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Suzanne Story, 36-years old, was brutally killed by a pit bull-mix on February 10, 2016. Story had acquired the dog about two weeks earlier from a newspaper ad in The Virginian Pilot that said the dog was "very good" with kids and people.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Gladys Alexander, 92-years old, was attacked by up to four large dogs after entering a neighbor's home to give her a newspaper on March 8, 2016. She was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, where she later died.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Bessie Flowers, 86-years old, was killed by her daughter's two pit bulls on March 28, 2016. At the time, she was visiting her daughter's home. While in the home, Flowers slipped on the dog bed and the pit bulls fatally attacked her face and neck.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Sebastian Caban, 3-days old, was killed by a pit bull-mix while lying in bed with his parents and the dog. When his mother coughed, the dog attacked the baby. The couple adopted the dog from the San Diego Humane Society 5-months earlier.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Manuel Mejia, 49-years old, was killed by a pack of dogs in Miami-Dade County on April 24, 2016. The dogs, an American bulldog and nine Belgian malinois-bulldog mix offspring, belong to his employer, the owner of a Dragon Fruit farm.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Adonis Reddick, 45-years old, was killed by his own pit bull on May 9, 2016. The dog attacked his neck causing fatal injuries. Reddick had developmental disabilities and is remembered as a powerful advocate for others living with disabilities.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Earl Stephens Jr., 43-years old, was killed by a pit bull and its two younger offspring while visiting the owner's home on June 4, 2016. Officials described Stephens' injuries as "massive." Deputies shot and killed the main aggressor, an adult male.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Hunter Bragg, 7-years old, was brutally killed by a pit bull while visiting his father at the owner's home on June 4, 2016. Hunter was playing in the yard with two other children when the chained male pit bull fatally attacked his throat and face.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Erin McCleskey, 36-years old, was killed by up to six dogs while serving civil papers to a home on June 15, 2016. A judge ordered all six dogs put down. "She didn’t deserve to die, and these animals don’t have a license to kill," stated the judge.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Jocelyn Winfrey, 53-years old, was brutally savaged by two pit bull-type dogs while visiting the dog owner's home; she died on June 27, 2016. Dr. Hamilton Hicks, the owner, was a resident in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Susie Kirby, 3-days old, was killed by two dogs on June 27, 2016. Both dogs were thought to be tied up outside, but that was untrue. One of the dogs with a history of aggression came into the home, snatched the baby and drug her outside.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Elizabeth Rivera, 71-years old, was killed by up to four family pit bulls in her southwest Detroit home on July 16, 2016. Several years earlier, Rivera was severely bitten in the face by a different pit bull owned by the same family members.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Crisencio Aliado, 52-years old, was killed by two pit bulls on July 29, 2016. The dogs belonged to the owners of ContainerLand, a local business, and "somehow" escaped the fenced warehouse. Both dogs were later returned to their owners.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Michelle Wilcox, 30-years old, was fatally attacked by a male pit bull belonging to her boyfriend on August 1, 2016. Wilcox had studied pre-veterinary medicine at Gainesville State College and animal science at the University of Georgia.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Derion Stevenson, 9-years old, was attacked by a pit bull-mix while visiting the dog owner's home on August 17, 2016. The male dog attacked him in the throat and face killing him. 3-weeks earlier, the same dog attacked a neighborhood dog.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Michael Downing, 83-years old, was killed by a pack of dogs on August 19, 2016. The dogs escaped their yard through a hole in the fence, attacked the man then dragged him back through the hole. He was discovered dead and dismembered.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Susan Shawl, 60-years old, was mauled to death by her two family pit bulls on August 29, 2016. The dogs belonged to her son, who was also attacked by his dogs while trying to save Shawl. The family had owned the pit bulls for at least 8-years.

See: Summary | Full blog post | Piper Dunbar, 2-years old, was killed by two pit bulls on September 24, 2016. The dogs belonged to a family friend who was temporarily staying at Piper's home. A search-and-rescue team found Piper mauled to death in her front yard.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Isaiah Franklin, 6-years old, was mauled to death by a family pit bull at his home in Huntington on December 2, 2016. The dog attacked him in the head and neck, causing fatal injuries. The male pit bull belonged to his mother's boyfriend.

Post Publication Identification Photographs

Breed identification photographs discovered after the publication of this post on January 9, 2017. These photographs are not included in our overall analysis; they were unavailable at that time.

See: Summary | Full blog post |

Daisie Bradshaw, 68-years old, was killed by two dogs belonging to her daughter; the trio had been living in the basement of her Staten Island home for the past five years. Daisie entered the basement that day and the dogs attacked her.

See: Summary | Full blog post | David Fear, 64-years old, was attacked by a police officer's "retired" attack-trained K-9 after it escaped its owner's property. The dog first attack Betty Long. Fear intervened to save her life and suffered critical injuries causing his death.

1In one of these cases, the main attacker was shot on scene and its two offspring, also involved in the attack, were taken into custody and photographed. Thus, the mauling death of Earl Stephens Jr. counted in both categories.
2The 20-year fatal dog attack study (Breeds of Dogs Involved in Fatal Human Attacks in the United States Between 1979 and 1998) co-authored by CDC, AVMA and HSUS members and published in 2000 did NOT separate American bulldogs from the pit bull category. This study specifically called the pit bull category "pit bull-type." DogsBite.org has always tracked American bulldogs and pit bulls in separate categories.
3Specifically the cases involving the pit bull mauling deaths of Adonis Reddick, 45-years old of Missouri, Hunter Bragg, 7-years old of Maine, Crisencio Aliado, 52-years old of Hawaii, Michelle Wilcox, 30-years old of Georgia, Piper Dunbar, 2-years old of Kansas and Isaiah Franklin, 6-years old of West Virginia.

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