More current info:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2005/jun/05/060504120.html
"
Pit Bulls Examined After Fatal Mauling
By GREG SANDOVAL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -
Authorities examined two pit bulls as they attempted Saturday to reconstruct the details of the fatal mauling of a 12-year-old boy in his home. Investigators late Friday conducted an examination of the body of the female pit bull, Ella, who was shot dead by a police officer after Nicholas Faibish was discovered in his Sunset District home by his mother. The second dog, Rex, was examined Saturday at the shelter where the 80-pound dog is being held.
Both dogs, pets of the boy's family, were examined by veterinarian Dr. Bing Dilts and a police forensic expert, according to Deb Campbell, a spokeswoman for Animal Care and Control.
Blood was found on Rex's fur, but Campbell declined to disclose any other details. Authorities are still uncertain if both dogs attacked the boy. More tests are scheduled for Monday.
Faibish, who had been home alone with the dogs, was found lying on the floor in a bedroom of his home Friday afternoon. He was covered in blood from wounds throughout his body and a significant injury to his head, according to a source close to the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The room was "torn up," said the source. "It looked like he put up a hell of a fight."
Police revealed Saturday that both dogs confronted the first police officer on the scene.
"When he arrived at the flat he radioed in and said he was faced with two vicious dogs," said police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens. "He shot one of the dogs and the other ran away."
Rex, found hiding in a crawl space outside, was captured. He didn't exhibit any aggressive behavior at that time, according to Gittens.
Rex is being held by Animal Care and Control in the same isolation area were two Presa Canario dogs were kept after mauling to death 33-year-old Diane Whipple in 2001.
Several neighbors said they heard both dogs growling and barking inside the victim's apartment late Thursday night.
Neighbors also said that one of the dogs went missing last year and was later recovered by Animal Care and Control. Campbell confirmed that one of the animals spent time at the facility but she did not know the reason for the stay.
The dogs were described as "sweethearts," by one neighbor but not everyone remembered them as particularly friendly.
Asked about the dogs' behavior, 13-year-old neighbor Aaron Vinnick said: "Sometimes nice, sometimes mean."
Michelle O'Leary, who lives around the corner from the victim's home, said that the dogs appeared to be treated well by the boy and his family.
Not long ago, neighbors said, the victim and his brother found a patch of wet cement where the sidewalk was being repaired and scrawled the words "Rex SF."
"It was obvious he loved those dogs," O'Leary said.
The incident has shaken dog owners in San Francisco. Campbell said that several people arrived at Animal Care and Control on Saturday to drop off their pit bulls.
"What happens is that people start thinking about their liability and safety," Campbell said. "The pit bulls that killed the boy were described as friendly and people start looking at their friendly dog and asking if it could do the same thing."
The shelter accepted the dogs and will perform an "aggression assessment" to determine whether a dog poses a safety hazard. If the dog passes, the dog is put up for adoption. If it does not, it is destroyed."
Re: Another "Boy Killed in Pit Bull Attack" article
Top
Re: Another "Boy Killed in Pit Bull Attack" article
Previous Topic
Index
Next Topic
