The relatives of an eight-year-old boy killed in a horrific dog attack are speaking out about the incident and have launched a fundraiser to help his family.
Florida police continue to investigate the attack and are looking to charge the dogs’ owner and have the animals put down.
“My great nephew is gone. We can’t get him back,” the victims great-aunt Jackie Hart told Fox 35. “[He’s] just the kind of kid you want to give a hug to because he’s so funny and caring and… and now he’s gone.”
Volusia County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Michael Chitwood said the young boy, named Michael, was riding his bike with his friends Monday when he spotted a pair of dogs in the subdivision where he lived and approached to pet them. The dogs reportedly were initially receptive to the attention but then began viciously attacking the boy, according to Chitwood. The boy died at the scene from his injuries.
Chitwood said the dogs were taken by deputies and were put into quarantine and that the sheriff's office is waiting for a response from the dog owners. He said the owners can either sign the dogs over to the sheriff's office, or if they refuse to give up custody law enforcement will have to take the issue to court.
"We will do everything humanely possible to hold the owner of these dogs responsible, and we're going to do everything possible to ensure that these animals are destroyed," he said during a Tuesday press conference.
Chitwood said the boy’s injuries were “just horrific,” and the victim had 12 bite wounds.
He said that the child’s mother dove on top of Michael to stop the attack, and her cries that her son was not breathing were audible over a 911 call made by a witness. The mother was not injured in the attack.
During the 911 call, the witness was heard telling other people to stay away from the dogs, fearing they’ll attack again, and calling for someone in her house to get her gun so she could shoot the animals.
“They’ve pinned him down on the ground, and now they’re like biting him, but he’s not moving, and he’s not responding,” one caller said, according to Fox 35.
Hart recalled how the boy’s mom did everything she could to try to protect her son.
“She went out there and had to kick the dog, and punch the dog… and you know, protect her son… but unfortunately, it… she wasn’t able to,” Hart said.
Michael’s family has now launched a GoFundMe to help with the costs associated with his death. It has already exceeded its $50,000 goal.
“Our family is devastated with the loss of Michael. He was incredibly smart, funny, caring, loving, and so adventurous,” the page read. “Michael’s contagious laugh and light will be missed tremendously.”
Chitwood said there had been no previous official police calls or 911 calls concerning the address or the dogs, and asked residents not to be afraid and to share information with the deputies.
“These dogs have been terrorizing the neighborhood for awhile and nobody decided to call us,” he said.
Volusia County’s director of animal services, Angela Miedema, said that the dogs running stray was a regular occurrence based on what she had been told by neighbors.
She described the dogs as a Pit Bull Terrier and a “Catahoula or herding breed mix.”
The sheriff said that the Florida state attorney is already involved in the investigation and that law enforcement is working "really hard" to make sure the dogs' owner is charged.
"That's the ultimate goal; to charge her, and destroy the animals," he said. "She needs to be held accountable."
When deputies arrived on scene they had to chase the dogs away from the boy before they could take the animals into their custody. The dogs reportedly ran approximately a half a mile back to their owner's property, where deputies gained control over them, according to Chitwood.
Body cam footage of the incident shows a deputy chasing the dogs down a long road from the site of the attack — where the boy’s mother can be heard wailing in agony. When another deputy approaches the property, the dogs charge, prompting the deputy to pull his pistol and scream at the dogs to stop.
No charges have been brought against the owner as of Tuesday afternoon.
