YAKDT: 4 Pit Bulls Kill 8-Yr Old Child

[Mermaidman]

Boy dies after Pit Bull attack
05:40 PM EDT on Friday, April 16, 2004

By 6NEWS staff

Animal Control officers seized four Pit Bulls after they say the dogs attacked and killed an 8-year-old boy in the yard of his west Charlotte home. A mail carrier pulled the dogs off the child, but it was too late.

The attack happened around noon at 2529 Brentwood Place.

"Those dogs were pulling on him like a rag," said neighbor Edward Threatt.

Threatt and his wife Mary watched helplessly as four Pit Bulls mauled their neighbor Roddie Phillips Dumas, Jr., 8.

"They (the dogs) pulled his pants off, his clothes off," Edward Threatt said. "He was hollering help, help and then he just quit."

Threatt ran for help and his wife Mary called 911.

"I told somebody to get out here right now because a child is about dead,? Mary Threatt said.

At the same time a mailman stopped and heard a child screaming.

"(The mailman) jumped the fence and threw his book bag,? Mary Threatt said. ?He threw the book bag on them."

It did faze the animals. Mary Threatt said the mailman then grabbed a two by four and started beating off the dogs.

"They scare me almost half to death because I don't like them dogs," Mary Threatt said.

The mailman then jumped back over the fence and brought the boy to the front yard away from the dogs, but it too late. Dumas was transported emergency traffic to Carolinas Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

"It's a terrible way for anybody to go, a kid, a grown up, anybody, especially a kid to be eaten to death,? said neighbor Larry Burk.

According to police, Dumas? father and the girlfriend were inside the home at the time of the attack. Police are not sure why the neighbors heard the child's screams and they didn't. They could face charges anywhere from negligence to homicide. Those charges are pending.

Through a statement from the postal service, the mail carrier who helped the child said he wished he had gotten to the boy sooner.

Animal Control officers are investigating whether the dogs were trained to fight.

Police officers took guns out of the dogs? owner?s home. Officer told 6NEWS it is part of their ongoing investigation, but they would not comment further.

Do the neighbors' inaction bother you too? Would you risk your own life to try and save a child from four killer dogs? :disgust:

edit: Link provided by yo-ma-ma (includes video clip showing neighbors, who were indeed elderly--my apologies-- and mailman): WSOC TV. It clarifies that the dogs' owners were the child's parents and the cops had to break down the front door while paramedics were helping the kid in the yard! Father was arrested later, not for dog attack, but unrelated drug trafficking charges . . . Ugh.

 

[replicator]

OMG...

Neighbours should be definitely be charged.

I don't care how scared you are of dogs, but you gotta do something!!!!!!

Kick them, grab a piece of steak from the kitchen, do something for crying out loud.

 

[Sundog]

:|:|

 

[UNCjigga]

Dammit, I HATE those dogs!! :|

My neighbor breeds these dogs (Tim Biakabatuka, used to be a big college football star before getting washed up after an injury in the pros.) Every day I walk by his house and these beasts start snarling and jumping up against the fence and clawing at the fence door. Never mind the fact that I walk by every day and I'm not a 'stranger', but this breed is bred to defend territory and kill 'intruders'. No other purpose for these dogs. I hope the four dogs that did this weren't his, but I know he makes a killing off selling them (sells them for minimum $1500 each...sometimes he has has many has 8-12 pups to sell at a time.) I can't wait till he moves out of our neighborhood.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

It would be silly to charge the neighbors IMO - they have no legal obligation to help at their own risk. The dogs' owners, however, should almost certainly be charged.

This is a ghastly story, and would be a nightmarish way to die - that poor boy.

 

[BurnItDwn]

maybe the neighbours are elderly or disabled or something .... they did at least look for help and call 911. They certainly could have tried to be more proactive .... but it depends on their physical abillity. It could have been 3 people killed by pitt bulls rather than one.

Also, I don't think the neighbors are the ones who can be charged .. the kids father is the one who may be charged.

 

[SilverThief]

Damn fvcking dogs.
I hate those dogs.

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
maybe the neighbours are elderly or disabled or something ....

That's a good point. Thank you.

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: replicator
OMG...

Neighbours should be definitely be charged.

I don't care how scared you are of dogs, but you gotta do something!!!!!!

Kick them, grab a piece of steak from the kitchen, do something for crying out loud.

STFU you moron.

You don't know anything about the neighbours, so stop making assumptions.

They may be elderly people, disabled, etc.

This is a horrible thing that happened, but blaming/charging people that had nothing to do with the incident is just dumb.

Also, appearently you have never seen 4 Pitbulls attacking. They are very wild, and I am amazed how that mailman stopped them.

Either way, think twice before you shoot words out of your ass next time.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
maybe the neighbours are elderly or disabled or something ....

That's a good point. Thank you.

Or maybe they just froze up. Have you ever been in that kind of a situation? Time seems to stand still and you just stand there aghast without realizing that you are even doing it. It can take a few minutes to shake yourself out of it and take action....but by then.....

 

[replicator]

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
maybe the neighbours are elderly or disabled or something .... they did at least look for help and call 911. They certainly could have tried to be more proactive .... but it depends on their physical abillity. It could have been 3 people killed by pitt bulls rather than one.

Also, I don't think the neighbors are the ones who can be charged .. the kids father is the one who may be charged.

That's true.. I was just really angry after reading that.. Kind of a knee jerk reaction.

Hopefully there is a good reason, other than just fear. I know it may sound unfair, but when it is a kids life on the line.....

 

[Shockwave]

Since I dont have enough info on the neigbors, I cant comment on their inaction. But seriously, its FOUR dogs. You dont just run over and pull on thier leash or you end up as dog food too. Notice the mailman had to use a 2x4 to beat the dogs off?

Anyways, I woulda done SOMETHING. Dogs dont scare me much, seein as the only real weapon they have is a mouth. I got 5. 2 arms, 2 legs and a mouth too. I win

 

[Eli]

You should need a license and formal training on how to stop an attack in order to own one of these dogs.

They are worse than guns, they have minds of their own.

Just wait until all the people come in here saying, "But they are sooo sweet!!"

Yeah. Right.

A dogs behavior is part environment/upbringing and part genetic. These dogs evolved with the ability to be especially ferocious. Is it any wonder that they live up to their reputation?

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Since I dont have enough info on the neigbors, I cant comment on their inaction. But seriously, its FOUR dogs. You dont just run over and pull on thier leash or you end up as dog food too. Notice the mailman had to use a 2x4 to beat the dogs off?

Anyways, I woulda done SOMETHING. Dogs dont scare me much, seein as the only real weapon they have is a mouth. I got 5. 2 arms, 2 legs and a mouth too. I win

Trust me, 4 mad&hungry Pitbulls will scare you.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Since I dont have enough info on the neigbors, I cant comment on their inaction. But seriously, its FOUR dogs. You dont just run over and pull on thier leash or you end up as dog food too. Notice the mailman had to use a 2x4 to beat the dogs off?

Anyways, I woulda done SOMETHING. Dogs dont scare me much, seein as the only real weapon they have is a mouth. I got 5. 2 arms, 2 legs and a mouth too. I win

Once a lockjaw locks its jaws, there is virtually nothing you can do short of killing it to make it let go. I can't imagine what 4 of them would be like. All but the most seasoned and ready man would most certainly be killed.

They aren't your average golden retriever........

 

[Wuffsunie]

People who raise dogs that kill should be fed to their pets in turn. Same thing for mauling.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Since I dont have enough info on the neigbors, I cant comment on their inaction. But seriously, its FOUR dogs. You dont just run over and pull on thier leash or you end up as dog food too. Notice the mailman had to use a 2x4 to beat the dogs off?

Anyways, I woulda done SOMETHING. Dogs dont scare me much, seein as the only real weapon they have is a mouth. I got 5. 2 arms, 2 legs and a mouth too. I win

Once a lockjaw locks its jaws, there is virtually nothing you can do short of killing it to make it let go. I can't imagine what 4 of them would be like. All but the most seasoned and ready man would most certainly be killed.

They aren't your average golden retriever........

I'M BATMAN!!

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Since I dont have enough info on the neigbors, I cant comment on their inaction. But seriously, its FOUR dogs. You dont just run over and pull on thier leash or you end up as dog food too. Notice the mailman had to use a 2x4 to beat the dogs off?

Anyways, I woulda done SOMETHING. Dogs dont scare me much, seein as the only real weapon they have is a mouth. I got 5. 2 arms, 2 legs and a mouth too. I win

You are SUCH a stud.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: slick230

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Since I dont have enough info on the neigbors, I cant comment on their inaction. But seriously, its FOUR dogs. You dont just run over and pull on thier leash or you end up as dog food too. Notice the mailman had to use a 2x4 to beat the dogs off?

Anyways, I woulda done SOMETHING. Dogs dont scare me much, seein as the only real weapon they have is a mouth. I got 5. 2 arms, 2 legs and a mouth too. I win

You are SUCH a stud.

Its a joke there high speed. Obviously your blazingly high intelligence missed it I see.

Although, I WOULD do something. The mailman did, is the mailman the only one qualified to handle angry dogs? i think not...He just improvised. He grabbed a board and whipped doggy ass. Same thing I would have done.

 

[yhelothar]

How do these pitbulls get so aggressive? I had a pitbull, it used to escape out of my backyard, but it wasn't aggressive at all and was friendly. My neighbor's german shepards are very aggressive and would bark and snarl at me when I get close to them.

 

[bootymac]

That mailman is my hero.

If I saw that happening, I would've gone out of my way to fscking kill those dogs. I hate pitbulls, and hate them even more when 4 of them rip apart a kid :|

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: slick230

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Since I dont have enough info on the neigbors, I cant comment on their inaction. But seriously, its FOUR dogs. You dont just run over and pull on thier leash or you end up as dog food too. Notice the mailman had to use a 2x4 to beat the dogs off?

Anyways, I woulda done SOMETHING. Dogs dont scare me much, seein as the only real weapon they have is a mouth. I got 5. 2 arms, 2 legs and a mouth too. I win

You are SUCH a stud.

Its a joke there high speed. Obviously your blazingly high intelligence missed it I see.

Although, I WOULD do something. The mailman did, is the mailman the only one qualified to handle angry dogs? i think not...He just improvised. He grabbed a board and whipped doggy ass. Same thing I would have done.

Oh. Yes, certainly. I was speaking from the point of view of the one being attacked.

Although, I probably would have rounded together a few other folks with 2x4s just incase they all turned on you.

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: slick230

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Since I dont have enough info on the neigbors, I cant comment on their inaction. But seriously, its FOUR dogs. You dont just run over and pull on thier leash or you end up as dog food too. Notice the mailman had to use a 2x4 to beat the dogs off?

Anyways, I woulda done SOMETHING. Dogs dont scare me much, seein as the only real weapon they have is a mouth. I got 5. 2 arms, 2 legs and a mouth too. I win

You are SUCH a stud.

Its a joke there high speed. Obviously your blazingly high intelligence missed it I see.

Although, I WOULD do something. The mailman did, is the mailman the only one qualified to handle angry dogs? i think not...He just improvised. He grabbed a board and whipped doggy ass. Same thing I would have done.

Yeah, it may be a joke. But then again you may actually believe you are all that. Based on your past posts, you seem to carry yourself like some kind of cool tough guy bad ass. Go play with rabid dogs. Have fun.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: slick230

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: slick230

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Since I dont have enough info on the neigbors, I cant comment on their inaction. But seriously, its FOUR dogs. You dont just run over and pull on thier leash or you end up as dog food too. Notice the mailman had to use a 2x4 to beat the dogs off?

Anyways, I woulda done SOMETHING. Dogs dont scare me much, seein as the only real weapon they have is a mouth. I got 5. 2 arms, 2 legs and a mouth too. I win

You are SUCH a stud.

Its a joke there high speed. Obviously your blazingly high intelligence missed it I see.

Although, I WOULD do something. The mailman did, is the mailman the only one qualified to handle angry dogs? i think not...He just improvised. He grabbed a board and whipped doggy ass. Same thing I would have done.

Yeah, it may be a joke. But then again you may actually believe you are all that. Based on your past posts, you seem to carry yourself like some kind of cool tough guy bad ass. Go play with rabid dogs. Have fun.

I carry myself like a cool tough guy bad ass?
Now thats an interesting combination. But what the hell, I'll live up to it. Its all in the mind, you are what you think you are. And I dunno what I am, but I know I could kick the balls of your nerdy person in about 3 seconds flat. 1 and a half if you dont count my wind up

 

[TommyVercetti]

I am wondering when the liberals are gonna come in and start talking about how we need more government regulation when it comes to dangerous dogs. Yeah sure, personal responsibility can go to hell, just like liberal morals.