A horrified onlooker recorded a New York man being “brutally and viciously attacked” and killed by a pack of eight to nine pit bull-like dogs.
James Provost, 59, of Schenectady, New York, was beaten to death and left with “several wounds” in Albany on Wednesday around 6 p.m.
Officers arrived on the scene on the 500 block of Central Avenue about three to four minutes after reports of a man being “actively attacked by several mixed-breed pit bulls,” Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said.
In an attempt to stop the vicious attack, an officer fired his weapon and “struck one of the dogs,” while the others scattered before a “caretaker” arrived and gathered them back into the house, police said.
Hawkins revealed that a total of 24 mixed-breed male and female pit bulls were found at the home, 15 of which were puppies, belonging to an unnamed owner who lived in Cohoes, about 15 minutes outside of Albany.
James Provost, 59, of Schenectady, New York, was beaten to death in Albany on Wednesday around 6 p.m. and left with “several wounds” at a home on the 500 block of Central Avenue
When officers arrived, the man was “actively attacked by several mixed-breed pit bulls,” Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said.
It is unclear why Provost was in the backyard or if he had any relationship with the dogs or their owner. DailyMail.com has contacted the Albany Police Department for comment.
Neighborhood witnesses reported hearing Provost yelling for help as the dogs barked CBS6.
The dog shot by the officer, an adult male, died from his injuries. The other 23 puppies were rounded up and placed in crates and are currently at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
Hawkins said the dogs were not kept in a “traditional family atmosphere,” but it is unclear how the dogs were “used,” he added.
“There are so many unanswered questions in this and we’re trying to work our way through it,” Hawkins said.
Of the nine adult dogs on site, four were licensed, but their papers expired in March this year, he explained.
According to city law, residents with dogs must register their animals annually with the city hall.
The dog shot by the officer, an adult male, died from his injuries. The other 23 puppies were rounded up and placed in crates and are currently at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society
None of the five- to eight-week-old puppies had a permit.
According to police, there have been no previous calls or complaints about animals, including dogs, at the home.
A search warrant was served at that home in May in connection with drug activity, the chief said, adding that “several dogs were seized at that time.”
He clarified that the dogs were not the subject of the investigation and that they “just happened to be at that location.”
Four to five other people were near the crime scene “in at least one of the units,” but it is unclear if they are connected or not.
Criminal charges against the dog owner are possible, Hawkins said. The Albany Police Department is currently investigating.
Neighborhood witnesses reported hearing Provost yelling for help as the dogs barked
A heroic 13-year-old girl from Converse, Texas “did everything in her power” to save a one-year-old boy from a pit bull, but tragically couldn’t prevent his death on Monday.
Jiryiah Johnson was reportedly in the care of his babysitter, Heather Rodriguez, 36, when her pit bulls mauled him in her home.
Rodriguez had left the child alone with her teenage daughter and the three violent dogs.
When the dogs began attacking the baby, the teen desperately tried to protect him but ended up in a “tug of war for the baby” with one of the dogs, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said.
“She did everything she could, even lifting the baby over her head, but my understanding is that the dog climbed onto something and was able to get the baby out of her hands,” he told KSAT.