"He screamed for help": Boy (†8) is mauled by dogs
DeLand (Florida/USA) - Two dogs "terrorized" a neighbourhood in DeLand (Florida) for weeks and repeatedly attracted attention with their aggressive behaviour. Now the situation reached its tragic climax: eight-year-old Michael Millet was brutally attacked by them. He had no chance and did not survive the attack.
The accident occurred last Monday at around 5 p.m. (local time). Witnesses who saw what happened called 911, as Fox 35 Orlando reports.
"He was screaming for help. They pinned him to the ground and bit him. He's not moving and he's not responding," a panicked bystander described over the phone.
Witnesses desperately tried to resuscitate the eight-year-old child - without success. The little boy succumbed to his serious injuries at the scene.
The dogs - a pit bull and a mongrel - were initially able to escape, but some time later the animal welfare service managed to catch them.
The two dogs had been "terrorizing" the neighborhood for weeks
At a press conference the following day, the sheriff in charge, Mike Chitwood, made a statement. He said that the two dogs had been "terrorizing" the neighbourhood for weeks.
The boy had been out with a friend and had wanted to stroke them, then the brutal attack happened.
The eight-year-old suffered around twelve bite wounds and several broken bones. Sheriff Chitwood described the injuries as "horrific".
His mother had tried to protect him, but by then it was already too late.
"She went out there and had to kick and hit the dog ... and protect her son ... but unfortunately she wasn't able to," the boy's great-aunt later said.
Boy's aunt tries to support his parents with donations
She launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe and managed to raise the equivalent of more than 40,000 euros for the grieving parents.
It is not yet clear what will happen to the dogs. First of all, the dog owner (32), who has allegedly been in conflict with the law before, has to decide whether or not to give upthe animals voluntarily.