Posted on November 10, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Beloved Church Leader Dies After Being Mauled by Neighbor's Pit Bull in Richmond, Virginia

Evangeline Brooks, a beloved church leader, died after being mauled by a neighbor's pit bull.

No Felony Charges
UPDATE 11/29/22: The criminal investigation after the mauling death of 88-year old Evangeline Brooks has ended. It was determined that no felony charges would be brought against the owner of the dog, Tracey Hicks. On November 7, Brooks was attacked by Hicks’ pit bull after she called out to Hicks while standing in a nearby yard. According to the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the greeting startled Hicks and her unleashed dog suddenlty attacked Books.

A statement from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office also indicates the pit bull was wearing a shock collar that the canine did not respond to, so Hicks had to beat her own dog with a rake: “The dog did not respond to the Ms. Hicks’ use of the shock collar and Ms. Hicks had to beat her dog with a rake before she was able to drag the dog off of Ms. Brooks. Ms. Hicks put the dog in her house, called 911 and immediately returned to assist Mrs. Brooks,” the statement reads.

Hicks was issued five summonses, including: Dog No Breeder’s Permit, Nuisance Dog, Dog No City License, Dog No Current Rabies Vaccination and Unrestrained Dog. Each infraction is a Class 4 misdemeanor, the lowest level criminal offense in Virginia. Hicks surrendered her dog to Richmond Animal Care and Control directly after the attack and the dog was immediately put down. If found guilty on all five misdemeanor charges, Hicks could face a total penalty of $1,250.

11/10/22: Woman Dies After Dog Attack
Richmond, VA - On Monday, a retired school teacher and beloved church leader was severely mauled by a pit bull in her neighborhood. 88-year old Evangeline Brooks was attacked by the dog as she walked to her late sister's home in the 1500 block of Alaska Drive in South Richmond. She died the following day. Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) Director Christie Chipps-Peter confirmed the organization euthanized the attacking dog, which she identified as a pit bull-mix.

First Baptist Church of South Richmond senior pastor and former Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones said Brooks "was the salt of the Earth, she was a wonderful person," and "for a person in their upper 80s to lose their life in such a horrendous way, it is something that really causes us concern on top of our grief." Richmond police are currently working with RACC and will consult with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office regarding any potential charges. The investigation is ongoing.

Jones served as the Mayor of Richmond from 2009 to 2015 and was a Virginia state delegate from 1994 to 2009. Jones said that local and state officials need to pass stronger laws. "There need to be laws that will dictate the consequences of those dogs when they take the life of a woman in her upper 80s," Jones said. "We think that the General Assembly and city council [take action]. There needs to be some type of laws that will address this kind of issue going forward," Jones said.

Felony Dog Attack Law

In 2006, after an 82-year old woman was killed by her neighbor's pit bulls, the state legislature passed a felony dog attack law. A guilty verdict requires proving beyond a reasonable doubt that any owner whose "willful act or omission in the care, control, or containment of a canine" is "so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life," and is the proximate cause of such dog or other animal attacking and causing serious bodily injury to any person.

All that is known about the dog's owner at this time is that the person is female. The victim's neighbor, Roxanne Tune, describes what happened when she learned the dog had bitten Brooks in the neck. "I took off running down there. I saw her laying there, and the lady of the dog or the owner was holding her [neck] pressuring…I asked if she was breathing?" Brooks was transported to a local hospital, but according to her son, Howvard Brooks, she was already brain-dead.

Howvard had to make the difficult decision to remove her from life support. "My mother went 30 minutes without breathing when they were working on her," he said. "They said she would not come out of the coma that she was in." He continues to be in shock. "My mother was incredible. She was phenomenal," Howvard said. "It is a big loss. It is a big loss for me. I know that I made up my mind that each day I need to be the best that I can be," Howvard said fighting back tears.

Began as Cat Attack

Early video footage from WIRC states the attack began as an animal attack. "As the 88-year old was in the driveway, a dog next door that was loose initially went after a cat that was near her, but ended up attacking Brooks." Police have not confirmed this scenario. However, this type of redirected attack that began as animal aggression then redirected onto a human is why shelters should never adopt out dogs with serious animal aggression, but they do so routinely anyway.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Virginia 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 November 3, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Migrant Woman Found Dead After Suspected Dog Attack in South Laredo

A migrant woman was found dead Tuesday morning after a suspected dog attack.

Woman Found Dead
Laredo, TX - On Tuesday morning, a woman was found dead with bite marks on the sidewalk of the 300 block of River Front Street. The Webb County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy. Officials believe the woman was in her 20s, from Guatemala and had crossed the Rio Grande when she was attacked by one or more dogs. She sustained multiple bite marks, which resulted in her death, the medical examiner said. It is unknown what types of dogs attacked her.

“Foul play was not found at this preliminary phase of the investigation nor has an official cause of death been finalized. The investigation has revealed that there was evidence of an animal attack on the victim,” police said in a statement. Police also said the that the victim had crossed the border illegally. Authorities have not identified the victim, pending notification of next of kin. Residents say that issues and attacks by loose and stray dogs is common in the neighborhood.

Age of the Victim

Persons in their 20s is a rare age group for victims of fatal dog attacks. Of the 569 people killed by dogs from 2005 to 2020, only 11 females fell into the 19-29 age group, less than 2% of all deaths. 91% of these attacks (10 of 11) involved pit bulls. A Dogo argentino inflicted the other death. Among males 19-29 years old, there were 10 deaths, also less than 2% of all deaths. 90% of these fatal attacks (9 of 10) were carried out by pit bulls. A rottweiler inflicted the other death.

Earlier this week, Kimberly Dawn Morris, of McLean, was found dead in Gray County, Texas. Authorities initially thought it was a homicide -- they thought the woman had been stabbed. The autopsy results, however, determined it was an "animal attack." Currently, it is unknown what animal species were involved. There were no witnesses to the attack, but it did occur in a rural neighborhood with dirt roads. The most likely culprit is one or more loose dogs, not wildlife.

The area on River Front Street where a woman was found dead after a suspected dog attack.

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Dog Attack Suspected After Amazon Driver Found Injured and Dead in Ray County, Missouri

A male 49-year old Amazon driver was found dead after a suspected dog attack.

Driver Found Dead
Excelsior Springs, MO - Late Monday, reports began emerging after a driver for Amazon was found dead following a suspected dog attack. Ray County deputies were dispatched to an area on Highway O after a caller said the truck had been parked in front of the house for several hours with its lights and engine running. Arriving deputies found the driver dead in the front yard. Two dogs spotted on scene were highly aggressive. Both dogs were shot and killed at the scene.

“Due to the fact of the nature of some of the injuries to the male driver, we can’t confirm or deny if they were the cause of the death of the driver, however we wanted to be safe,” Sheriff Scott Childers said. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death, Childers said, but the victim's injuries were consistent with being attacked by an animal. The victim's family was notified Monday night. The owners of the dogs were not home at the time of the attack, Childers said.

The two dogs involved in the attack were a German shepherd and an English mastiff, according to Sheriff Scott Childers.

In August, a rural postal carrier in Florida was mauled to death by a pack of dogs after her truck broke down while working her route. Arriving deputies said that 61-year old Pamela Rock, a United States Postal Service carrier, suffered "heavy trauma." Deputies had to apply multiple torniquets to control the bleeding. She had one arm amputated before she died that night. The five dogs had escaped a poorly fenced in area by going underneath it. Apparently, they did so routinely.

In 2017, a UPS driver was nearly killed by five pit bulls. Kevin Backlund, 59, jumped on the back of a trailer to stave off the animals. He survived, but suffered serious injuries. "I was surrounded on all four sides by these pit bulls and with no warning, no provocation whatsoever on my part, they were closing in," Backlund stated afterward. "The fight was on and it wasn’t just the fight, it was the fight of my life,"" Meanwhile, the owner claimed his dogs were just "doing their job."

In 2016, a process server was killed by a pack of dogs while trying to serve papers at the dog owner's home in Central Texas. Erin McCleskey, 36, was found dead, lying near the front gate of the property. She had exited her vehicle, leaving it running, and opened the front gate of the property. As soon she entered, she encountered the pack of dogs. Due to the dogs' owner fighting the euthanasia order, the dogs were not put down until after a trial was held in November 2017.

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Dies After Being Attacked by a Pair of Pit Bulls in Roane County, Tennessee

Michael Lane of Kingston died two weeks after being attacked by a pair of pit bulls.

Mauling Victim Dies
Roane County, TN - On September 25, Michael Lane, 68-years old, was walking along Cave Creek Road in Loudon when two pit bulls belonging to Charles Henry Green viciously attacked him. Green was arrested on October 1 on one count of allowing animals to run at large causing serious injury or death. Lane died on October 8. According to his obituary, Lane "crossed over, or maybe ran, into the arms of Jesus on Saturday, October 08, 2022 following a tragic event."

According to the warrant filed in the case, a passerby identified as Craig Stinson reportedly saw Lane’s leg sticking out of a ditch on the side of the road and stopped. "Craig said that Michael had told him he was attacked by two pit bulls while walking down the roadway," the warrant said. "Craig said he never saw the pit bulls attacking Michael, but said there were two aggressive pit bulls on the property of 172 Cave Creek Road due to his prior knowledge of the dogs."

The deputy that responded was able to speak to Lane prior to the ambulance arriving. He asked Lane where he was when the dogs attacked him. "He stated he was walking down the hill in the road just before the address at 172 Cave Creek Road when he was attacked by the pit bulls," the warrant said. "I did see that Michael had severe lacerations to both his left and right arms and his ears appeared to have been ripped off." Green's address is listed as 172 Cave Creek Road.

The deputy, a sergeant with the sheriff’s office and an animal control officer paid Green a visit, reports The Mountain Press. Green stated that he couldn’t say if his dogs ran off his property. That is when the deputy observed blood on Green's dogs. "I did observe that the gray pit bull owned by Charles had what appeared to be fresh blood on its legs and chest, and on its feet," the warrant said. "The black and white pit bull that was owned by Charles had blood on its legs and chest."

Animal control confiscated both dogs, reports The Mountain Press. One was put down quickly. On October 11, The Press reported that Green decided not to contest having his second pit bull euthanized. He also waived his right to a preliminary hearing, so the case was bound over to the Roane County grand jury. Green could face more serious charges now that Lane died. Moreover, animal control was aware that Green's pit bulls had a history of violence prior to attacking Lane.

The Pit Bull Owner

Charles Henry Green is well known by local authorities. In March of 2019, Green shot a gun into two different vehicles parked in front of a home on Church drive. "His ex-girlfriend (a woman) and her son ... (his roommate) were inside the house at the time the shot was fired," Lenoir City Investigator Brad Brown wrote in a report. Green was charged with four counts of aggravated domestic assault, aggravated assault and two counts of vandalism and held on $128,000 bond.

In November 2020, Green was charged with solicitation of a minor after the teenager's grandfather saw that Green had commented on one of her social media posts. Alarmed, he told the girl's father, who then saw private messages between his daughter and Green. Green had asked the girl to come to his house on Cave Creek Road and said he wanted to meet her. Green told her if she would meet him, he would want to have sex with her, according to the arrest report.

In April 2021, Green's property on Cave Creek Road was designated an "Accumulated Debris/Junkyard," along with several other properties (Page 11). The Roane County Commission authorized the county attorney to file lawsuits to determine whether the property owners listed were subject to a Roane County resolution regarding zoning regulations regarding overgrown vegetation and accumulated debris. It is unknown if this was ever resolved.

What is known is that Green was living in the home on September 25 when his two pit bulls ran off his property and viciously attacked Michael Lane. He died while hospitalized two weeks later. The loss of Lane is a terrible tragedy for his family and friends. Their pain and suffering is all due to Charles Henry Green. We hope that Green is charged and convicted of the Class D felony in Tennessee statute § 44-8-408. We hope he serves the maximum sentence of 12 years too.

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

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