A 6-year old boy is dead, adult injured, after being mauled by a pair of dogs in northeast Portland.
Child Killed by Dogs
Portland, OR - A 6-year old boy is dead and a woman injured after being attacked by a pair of dogs. Firefighters were dispatched to a home in the 1800 block of Northeast 112th Avenue in the Parkrose Heights neighborhood just after 7:30 am Tuesday for a report of an animal attack. Audio dispatch log files from Portland Area Fire and Rescue on Broadcastify.com indicate the use of a firearm at the scene prior to the arrival of first responders. A police press conference is expected later today.
Portland Police BureauOn December 5, 2023, at 7:38 a.m., officers were dispatched to reports of a dog attack at a home in the 1800 block of Northeast 112th Avenue in the Parkrose Heights Neighborhood. Officers determined that a pair of dogs mauled a six-year-old boy and an adult female who tried to stop the attack. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Upon further investigation, officers determined the woman injured is the owner of the dogs and the little boy killed is her friend’s grandson. The dogs, believed to be Great Dane-Mastiff mixes, are in the custody of Multnomah County Animal Services.
PPB’s Child Abuse Team and Homicide Unit are investigating. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Det. Jennifer Musser.
Police learned the boy's grandmother dropped him off with her friend who takes him to school. The friend, who owns the dogs, went into the garage where the dogs were when the boy opened the door to the garage and one of the dogs attacked him. The second dog then joined in. Both dogs were described as large and heavy great dane-mastiff mixes. Public Information Officer Mike Benner said the owner tried to save the boy, "at some point even grabbing a gun," but it never got that far.
The Oregonian reports the garage, where the two large dogs are kept, is attached to the home. According to the woman, "the boy knew not to approach the dogs." The woman had gone into the garage to tend to the dogs while the boy was inside her house. The 6-year old boy opened the garage door to follow her and one of the dogs attacked him. The woman grabbed a gun, but did not shoot, Benner said. Her hands were injured while intervening. She was transported to a local hospital.
No information was provided about the boy's mother or father or why his grandmother dropped the boy off at this dog owner's home, who's apparently the boy's caretaker, to take him to school each morning. The Portland Police Bureau Child Abuse Team is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Homicide Division, Benner said. It's too soon to say if the dogs' owner will face criminal charges. Multnomah County Animal Services responded to the scene to take custody of the dogs.
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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.
The post 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: 6-Year Old Boy Killed, Adult Injured by Pair of Dogs in Northeast Portland, Oregon appeared first on DogsBite Blog.
