Infant and grandfather possibly killed in Tennessee pitbull attack

Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Authorities discovered the bodies of a 50-year-old man and a 3-month-old infant at a residence in Tullahoma, Tennessee, on Wednesday. Both victims showed signs of bite wounds, but investigators have not yet confirmed whether the attack by pitbulls caused their deaths.

The Coffee County Communications Center received an emergency call at approximately 3 p.m. CST, reporting an alleged pitbull attack at a home on the 900 block of E. Warren Street. Upon arrival, officers found pitbulls attacking the infants body. The officers intervened, fatally shooting the dogs to stop the attack, and confirmed the deaths of James Smith and his granddaughter.

"This is an especially difficult and brutal scene," said District Attorney General Craig Northcott in a statement. "Please keep the victims' family and the first responders in your thoughts as they deal with the trauma of what they witnessed."

Authorities are still working to determine if the two victims had passed away before the pitbulls began mauling them. The cause of death for both remains under investigation.

Neighbor Brian Kirby recalled witnessing a woman screaming in the street as he returned home from work. When he approached her to offer assistance, she ran back into the house without responding, and Kirby soon heard sirens. Although Kirby had never seen the dogs act aggressively toward humans, he mentioned that they had attacked other animals in the past, including killing his cat. He had intended to file a police report about the dogs just a week prior.

"I dont think anyone ever expected this to happen," Kirby said. "They just need to control the dogs better." He added that the family is "devastated" by the incident, which has left many struggling to comprehend the tragedy.

District Attorney Northcott has not yet decided whether criminal charges will be filed in the case. The dogs, which were living at the residence about 75 miles southeast of Nashville, were taken into custody by Coffee County Animal Control. It remains unclear who owned the dogs, and authorities have not disclosed how many dogs were involved or whether all of them were pitbulls.

In a similar incident in 2013, four of eight dogs belonging to Alex Donald Jackson attacked and killed 63-year-old Pamela Devitt as she walked near her home in Littlerock, California. Jackson was later sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for second-degree murder.

Author: Jackson Miller