Police officers fatally shoot 2 pit bulls who were attacking owner

The woman who owns the dogs was injured while trying to break up a fight between her pets.

Matt Trapani and Chris Keating

Mar 21, 2023, 5:41 PM

Updated 399 days ago

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Warning: Some viewers may find the above video disturbing.
Elizabeth police officers shot and killed two pit bulls that attacked several people.
The woman who owns the dogs was injured while trying to break up a fight between her pets. That woman and her adult daughter suffered bite wounds while trying to pull the dogs apart. Neighbors say it all started when the two dogs, who were behind a fence, started fighting with a third dog walking past that fence.
"She was screaming, ‘Let it go, let it go.’ She had a stick in the hand and started hitting the dog with the stick,” says witness Uriel Morales.
Morales started recording from across the street when he saw his neighbor trying to separate her dogs. The animals were behind a fenced-in driveway belonging to the homeowner.
Tenesha Morris, another neighbor, called the police. The witnesses say that the dog on the outside of the fence escaped the fight, but the two dogs inside then turned on each other.
"It was real scary because I didn't know what was going on, so I looked out the window and saw the dogs just going at each other. And she was trying to pull the dog off of one,” Morris says.
When police arrived, neighbors recorded the officers shooting the two dogs. Six gunshots could be heard.
Animal Control then came to collect the remains of the two pit bulls. Three others were taken from the home. Neighbors tell News 12 that the dogs were never loose but always loud.
"You walk past and they're outside. They'll let you know, they will say hi, but not in the nicest way,” says neighbor Katie McGrory.
"The dogs fight a lot, so it's not the first time I've seen them try to separate them apart,” Morales says.
The homeowner suffered bite wounds and a broken arm. Her husband tells News 12 that she is expected to be OK.
Two other people were also taken to the hospital.


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