A 4-year-old boy, playing in his backyard on Wednesday afternoon, suffered a fatal mauling by one or possibly two dogs, according to Detroit police. The incident took place shortly before 3 p.m. on the city’s west side, as confirmed by Cpl. Dan Donakowski.
“We’re not sure if it’s one or two dogs, but Animal Control has two dogs in custody,” Donakowski said. “It’s believed that the dogs belonged to a neighbor behind where the victim lived, but as far as how it happened, we’re unsure at this time.”
The dogs were believed to be pit bulls or pit bull mixes, police told local news outlets.
Police Cmdr. Arnold Williams told reporters at the scene “we’re trying to do everything that we can just to help everybody through this.”
“The loss of a child who hasn’t really started their life is just something huge that nobody can really even fathom,” Williams said.
An adult was at home with the child, police said.
“This reminds everybody, if you do have a dog to secure your dog to make sure your dog can’t get out. That’s the most important thing.” Williams said.
