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Police Fatally Shoot & Kill Two Attacking Pit Bulls In Bushwick


By

Scott Heins

Published Mar 13, 2017

Modified Mar 13, 2017


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By

Scott Heins

Published Mar 13, 2017

Modified Mar 13, 2017


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Police officers shot and killed two pit pulls that were mauling a 50-year-old man inside a Bushwick apartment Saturday night.

According to a police spokesperson, multiple NYPD officers rushed to an apartment near the corner of Hancock Street and Bushwick Avenue at roughly 10:30 p.m. Saturday, where they found a man being attacked by the two dogs. Officers fired multiple rounds at the animals, killing both. The injured man, identified by the Post as Paul "Nitty" Davis, was rushed to Kings County Hospital and treated for bites to his arms and legs.

The dogs belonged to Devon Dixon, 26, a roommate of Davis, who had rescued them from a neighbor's yard after they had been left tied up and abandoned, the Post notes. Dixon told the tabloid he had been hosting an apartment party Saturday night when the dogs began suddenly attacking Davis one floor below. He immediately rushed to his roommate's aid.

"I jumped over the couch and ran out of the room and slammed the door," he told the Post. "The dog ran back and jumped on Nitty. At that point they were full-flesh into him." Dixon recalled trying to beat the dogs back with a two-by-four board, but was unable to stop them until police arrived and shot both dogs.

"I heard at least ten gunshots. It was at least a whole round. But they had to, Nitty was losing a lot of blood," he told the tabloid.

According to the Daily News, two police officers were taken to Wyckoff Hospital for observation after Saturday night's incident. No charges have been filed in connection with the dogs' attack.

Tagged

dogs

nypd

pit bull


Scott Heins

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Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.

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