An upstate New York man was killed by a pack of pit bulls on Wednesday, in an attack that didn’t stop until a police officer shot one of the dogs and scared off the rest, according to authorities.
Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said the 10 vicious dogs attacked Schenectady resident James Provost, 59, at about 6 p.m. in the backyard next to a suspected drug house where the beasts were kept.
“This was a horrific attack,” Hawkins said during a locally broadcast news conference.
A grainy video of the attack, obtained by CBS 6, shows the barking dogs charging at the man who was trying to fend them off. According to the outlet, the animals dragged him as he appeared unconscious.
Part of the ferocious attack was captured on camera. CBS 6 Albany
After the dogs started attacking her, a police officer arrived at the scene and saw eight or nine of them surrounding the victim, police said.
The officer opened fire, shooting one of the dogs and startling the other uncontrolled animals until they moved away from the victim.
The owner, who lives in Cohoes, and the dogs’ caretaker helped police collect the dogs and bring them home, Hawkins said.
Hawkins said the fatal accident occurred in the backyard of a home next to where the dogs live with their caretaker in Albany. The police do not know how the victim ended up in that square, because he did not live there.
“Somehow those dogs got out,” Hawkins said.
The chief policeman said that the house where the dogs were kept was raided by authorities last May on suspicion of drug activity.
Five to seven dogs were also confiscated at that time for safekeeping, before they were later released. It is not known whether those dogs were linked to the fatal attack.
The attack occurred in upstate New York. NEWS10 The man and dogs were in the backyard area. News10
Hawkins said 24 mixed-breed dogs, including 15 puppies, were found in the home Wednesday and turned over to a local humane society.
No charges had been filed as of Thursday, but the investigation is in its early stages.
“We’re still trying to determine why the victim was in the back of the house, and we’re still trying to figure out why the dog owner kept multiple dogs in that location,” Hawkins said.
The judicial system will determine the fate of the dogs at a later date.
“We will find out who is criminally responsible for this,” he said, vowing to bring justice to the murdered man.
