7-Year-Old Boy Killed By Family's Pit Bull

Aug 16, 2007
http://wcco.com

(WCCO) Minneapolis A 7-year-old boy is dead after being attacked by his family's pit bull in Minneapolis, according to Lt. Amelia Huffman of the Minneapolis Police Department.

The attack happened at the 3500 block of Humboldt Avenue North in Minneapolis.

According to police, Zack King Jr. went to play with the family dog in the basement of his family's home when it attacked him. Police say the dog severely bit the boy in the throat.

"Certainly, you can imagine a 7-year-old child and a large adult pit bull. The nature of the injury was severe," said Huffman.

The 7-year-old's father, Zach King Sr. tried to intervene and was bitten severely on the arm. The father then shot and killed the pit bull.

Police said two girls were also in the home at the time of the attack and one of those girls called 911.

The boy was taken to North Memorial Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

The grandfather of the boy said the male pit bull, whose name was Face, was kept chained in the basement.

"I don’t know if the dog turned or my grandson messed with him or what," said the boy’s grandfather.

Neighbors said the 2nd grader was full of life and loved to ride his bike up and down the street.

"I hope they can get through this, cause this is really bad, tragic right here," said a neighbor.

According to the city of Minneapolis, Animal Control has had two other contacts with this family regarding the pit bull that attacked the boy. In 2005, the dog bit a trespasser on the family’s property. The city considered that a "provoked bite" and it did not lead to any additional action.

In 2006, the dog left the family’s yard and bit a man. Although the bite was considered minor, Animal Control officially notified the dog owner that any further incidents may lead to the dog being declared dangerous.

According to police, it was normal for the boy to play with the dog. There was another female pit bull in the home and five puppies that were not involved in the attack. Those dogs have been taken by Minneapolis Animal Control.

A state report based on hospital discharge data and medical records from the Minnesota Hospital Association showed a 40 percent reported increase in victims of dog bites seen in hospitals and emergency rooms in the state from 1998 to 2005.

The study, released in June, found that about 3,600 people were treated in emergency rooms in 2005, compared to about 2,600 in 1998. The number of those hospitalized saw a smaller increase, from 89 in 1998 to 95 in 2005.

Three-quarters of the victims were familiar with the attacking dog, the study said.

Grandfather worried about pit bull that killed seven-year-old Minneapolis boy

Aug 16, 2007
www.kare11.com

A seven-year-old Minneapolis boy was killed Wednesday afternoon by a pit bulldog his father kept chained up in the basement of the family home. Zachary King died after being bitten on the throat.

"I saw blood all the way down his neck, all the way down to his feet," said Lincoln Freeman, a neighbor. "It was just horrible.

When the boy's father ran to help his son, he too was severely bitten, on the arm. The father, also named Zachary King, then shot and killed the dog with his gun.

Minneapolis Animal Control and Care removed six other pit bulls from the home, including a female and her five puppies.

"I don't know if he was playing with the dog or what," said Robert L. King, Zachary's Grandfather. He worried about his grandchildren being around the pit bulls and recently warned Zachary to "back away from that dog" when he saw him playing with the pit bull that later killed him. "I don't trust pit bulls period," he said. "As far as I'm concerned you can kill them all."

Zachary's father declined comment Thursday evening, after returning from the hospital with his wounded arm in a sling.

The dog had a history of biting. In 2005 city records show the dog bit a trespasser. Animal control officials considered that a "provoked bite" and took no action. Last year the dog left its yard and bit a man.

Animal control agents warned the owner if it happened again, the dog could be classified as "dangerous."

 

Pit bull kills seven-year-old
in Minneapolis Home

BY MARA H. GOTTFRIED AND EMILY GURNON, Pioneer Press
St. Paul Pioneer Press August 16, 2007

A 7-year-old boy was attacked and killed by a pit bull in his Minneapolis home today, police said.

The dog had bit people twice in the past, said Minneapolis spokesman Matt Laible.

An animal control manager who has worked for Minneapolis for 17 years doesn't recall any other fatal dog attacks in that period, Laible said.

The male dog, named Face, was tied to a post in a basement at 3530 Humboldt Ave. N. when he attacked the boy, Zachary King, shortly after 1 p.m., said Minneapolis police Lt. Amelia Huffman. Zachary had severe bites to his throat area, she said.

The boy's father, also named Zachary King, tried to intervene and the dog bit him in the arm, Huffman said. The elder King then shot and killed the dog.

The father and son were taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, where the younger King was pronounced dead, Huffman said.

The father, 30, was treated and released from North Memorial, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Police haven't determined what caused the attack.

Animal control officers removed a female pit bull and five puppies from the home afterward, Laible said.

In 2005, Face bit a trespasser on the family's property, but because of the circumstances it was considered a "provoked bite" and didn't lead to action from the city, Laible said.

In 2006, Face left the family's yard and bit a man, Laible said. That bite was considered minor. The city's animal control department officially notified the dog's owner that any further incidents could lead to the dog being declared dangerous, Laible said.

A Minnesota Health Department study published in July found the number of people seeking treatment for dog bites in the state increased by 40 percent from 1998 to 2005.

Father charged with manslaughter
in pit bull death of son, 7

BY EMILY GURNON
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 09/05/2007

Zachary Zane King Sr., who found his 7-year-old son lifeless and bloody after the family pit bull attacked the boy, was charged today with second-degree manslaughter in his son's death.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced charges against King, whose dog, Face, killed his son, Zachary King Jr., last month. The dog was kept tied up in the boy's home in North Minneapolis.

On Aug. 16, the pit bull, named Face, was tied to a post in a basement at 3530 Humboldt Ave. N. when the dog attacked Zachary King Jr., police said.

The dog also bit the boy's father, who fought off the dog, then shot and killed it.

A Minneapolis police spokesman said the pit bull had bitten people twice in the past.

According to the criminal complaint:
Besides the two earlier reported attacks, King told police the dog had bitten the boy once before. Zach Jr., had a scar on his upper lip from the previous attack. The dog had also attacked King's father's girlfriend, he told police.

King said he had friends at the house the night before the attack, so he had tied Face to a pole until 4 a.m. He then went to bed and left the dog chained in the basement.

King slept in the next day while his wife went to work, and his kids had the run of the house.

Awakened by his daughter, who said Face had attacked her brother, King went to the basement.

He found the boy lifeless on the floor in a pool of blood. Face was standing over the boy.

The dog tried to attack King as he moved toward his son, so he got a handgun and shot the dog to death, then called police.

Authorities called the August incident the first fatal dog attack in the metro area in at least 17 years.