ARIZONA - A Safford youth was flown to the University Medical Center in Tucson Monday afternoon after suffering a severe bite from a pit bull terrier.

At about 1:30 p.m., Safford Police officer Wade Sanders and Animal Control officer Randy Damron responded to a residence in the Sunrise Village & RV Mobile Home Resort at 900 W. Hollywood Rd. in regard to an animal attack call.

When they arrived, paramedics from Southwest Ambulance were treating 6-year-old Gunner Nichols for severe lacerations to his cheek and eyebrow/eyelid area. He was transported to the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center, where he was loaded onto a helicopter and flown to UMC. According to Damron's report, family acquaintances told him Gunner will likely have to have surgery to repair his face.

Gunner's neighbor told officer Damron that he heard Gunner scream a few minutes after he had walked past his house and saw him in the alley with blood on his left cheek and his eye swollen shut. After calling 9-1-1, the neighbor said Gunner told him the pit bull that was chained in the backyard of space 217 in the resort jumped its chain link fence and attacked him while he was playing in the alley. The dog then jumped back into its yard. The neighbor said he has seen the dog running loose several times.

Officer Sanders told Damron the dog's chain was long enough for it to traverse the low fence.

The owner of the dog, Yvonne Marie Lopez, 43, was given citations for failure to obey the leash law, not having any city tags, no proof of vaccination and owning a vicious dog. Damron had Lopez and her daughter assist him and they placed the dog in the back of his truck to take to impound.

Damron wrote in his report that he believes the dog to be vicious toward children and "from the actions this dog did while I was impounding it, the dog needs to be euthanize(d)." He then forwarded his report to the Safford City prosecutor and victims witness representative.