Dog shot after attack on woman
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on October 6, 2009 1:46 PM
An East Maple Street woman suffered severe bites from a neighbor's dog on Monday morning before a Goldsboro police officer shot and killed the animal, investigators said.
A German shepherd-akita mix attacked Tyler Young, 36, after she had dropped off her children at school on Monday morning, Maj. Mike Hopper said.
"The victim stated she saw the neighbor's dog loose on her front porch," Hopper said. "It licked her hand and went around and began sniffing her vehicle."
Ms. Young entered her home to prepare to walk the dog home, retrieving a raincoat and stepping outside, the police major said.
After stepping outside, she noticed the dog was gone, Maj. Hopper said. She walked toward the dog owner's home, at 1307 E. Walnut St., to inform them that the dog was loose, the police major said.
As she approached the property line of the dog owner's home, the dog attacked her, inflicting "pretty severe bites on her arms and legs," Hopper said.
Neighbor John Lomax said he awoke to the screams of Ms. Young.
"My wife and I were still sleeping, and we heard someone screaming," Lomax said. "Looked out a window, didn't see a thing, then we went to our living room and looked out," when he heard someone screaming the dog's name, Lomax said.
"I went to the back of my house and got a shovel and ran out to where I finally could see what was going on," Lomax said. "That dog had a lady pinned down."
Lomax hit the dog with the shovel "and told it to 'git,' and it still looked like it wasn't going to go," he said.
The neighbor said he then used the side of the shovel to hit the dog, causing it to retreat to its owners' porch.
During that time, rescue workers were called, and a Goldsboro police officer showed up at the scene.
Mabletine Smith, who lives at the home where the dog is kept, encouraged the officer to shoot it. Police said today that they had not determined the actual owner.
Hopper said the officer at first called for animal control. However, Hopper said, the dog kept approaching the officer, who became pinned against his patrol vehicle, the major said.
"The dog kept coming. The officer was pinned by the car. The dog kept advancing and (the officer) had nowhere to go, and the dog go within a couple of feet of him," Hopper said.
The officer then dispatched the dog with at least two gunshots from his service revolver, the major said.
Although Ms. Young received severe bites, Hopper said he expected her to be treated and released from Wayne Memorial Hospital.