“I don’t believe that they thought this would ever happen,” Kirby said.
"I hear this shit EVERY time one of those dumb fucking
pit bull owners gets dragged into my court!"
"I hear this shit EVERY time one of those dumb fucking
pit bull owners gets dragged into my court!"
A grandfather and his 3-month-old granddaughter were mauled to death in an attack in Tennessee this week, police say.
Local authorities arrived at the scene in the community of Tullahoma at 3 pm on Wednesday, where they saw the pit bulls “actively mauling” James Alexander Smith, 50, and the young child.
The Tullahoma Police Department shared a statement from the District Attorney’s office, which confirmed that “dogs were killed to stop the attack.”
However, by the time the dogs were euthanized, both Smith and his granddaughter were already dead.
“This was an especially difficult and brutal scene,” the district attorney’s office wrote. “Please pray for the family of the victims in this difficult time as well as the first responders as they cope with the trauma from what they witnessed.”
Brian Kirby, a neighbor, told Fox 8 that he saw a woman screaming in the street shortly before the authorities arrived. When he asked her for help, she fled into her home.
Seconds later, police officers arrived and subdued the pit bulls.
However, Kirby has suggested that the dogs have a violent history and even murdered his pet cat, whom he had owned for eight years.
“I don’t believe that they thought this would ever happen,” Kirby said. “I’m sure it was not done on purpose. I think that people just have animals, and they just need to put them on a leash better; that’s all.”
“And I’m not blaming them for what happened at all,” he continued. “I know that they’re devastated more than we are because it’s their family. It’s just hard to understand and wrap your head around it.”
Since the attack, Ely Cournoyer has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to support her husband’s “memaw,” Smith’s mother.
Cournoyer claims that the family’s home “lost their home” shortly after the “heartbreaking and unexpected attack.”
“They lost not only two precious lives, but also their home, their belongings, and their sense of security — all within hours,” Cournoyer wrote. “Memaw is now trying to care for the six remaining children, who suddenly have no clothes, no beds, and nowhere to go.”
She also claimed that Smith did not have life insurance, leaving his family with the huge costs of paying for his funeral.
Meanwhile, authorities have confirmed that an investigation has been launched into whether the pair died from their injuries or whether they had died before the dog attack.
The probe will also examine whether the dogs have a violent history or whether “past issues related to the children requiring intervention by the Department of Children’s Services” contributed to the pair’s death.
The DA’s office also confirmed that the other dogs in the home have been taken into the custody of Tullahoma Animal Control. A decision on their future has not yet been made.
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