09/10-18/08 Pit Bulls Shot by Police

#278: Officers Shoot Pit Bull; 5 Victims in Melee
09/10/08 | Racine, WI
Summary: Police officers shot and injured a pit bull terrier after it and two other dogs attacked several people. One of the pit bulls ran toward Richard Anderson, 50. All three dogs surrounded the man and began biting and pulling at one of his legs. Anderson pulled out a small pocket knife and began swinging at the dogs in an attempt to get them away from him.

The dogs did release Anderson, but turned to attack again. At this point, one of the officers fired two shots at one of the dogs. After the shots were fired, the other two dogs fled. While police checked Anderson, the shot dog got up and ran away. Police say at least three people and another dog were attacked by the three pit bulls -- five victims.

#280: Boy Scout Kills Two Attacking Pit Bulls
09/12/08 | Tucson, AZ
Summary: 16-year-old Andrew "Moses" Diodati was walking through the Hartman Vista neighborhood with his friend, Jeff Dolph, 16, and Dolph's 2-year-old beagle, Belle. The two female pit bulls began to attack Belle, and Diodati came to the beagle's defense by stabbing and slashing them with his pocketknife. Both pit bulls died. Read full story.
Pit bulls killed: 2

#281: Police Kill Charging Pit Bull in Portsmouth
09/12/08 | Portsmouth, VA
Summary: Police were alerted by a citizen that a pit bull was charging at a mailman. Animal control had attempted to take the dog with a control stick, but was unsuccessful. When police units arrived, officers requested backup because the dog was still threatening the public. That's when an officer with a shotgun showed up. He shot and killed the dog.
Pit bulls killed: 1

#282: Citizen Shoots, Kills Attacking Pit Bull
09/12/08 | Hopewell, PN
Summary: Harry Davis shot and killed his neighbor’s pit bull after the animal tried to attack him. The shooting came two months after the same dog bit his 14-year old son. Davis was charged by the pit bull while standing in his backyard. Carrying a metal bucket, Davis tried to fend off the dog. After making it back to his house, he grabbed his shotgun. He told reporters, "I’m not going to let no dog run me out of my own yard. I took him out right in mid-air."
Pit bulls killed: 1

#284: Police Kill 2 Pit Bulls After Dogs Kill Child
09/12/08 | Las Vegas, NE
Summary: Police officers shot and killed two violent "family pets" after one of the pit bulls busted through the home's screen door, snatched the family's 4-month old child out of a stroller and killed her. Police reported that the scene was so grizzly that rescue personnel who responded to the call were offered counseling. Read full story.
Pit bulls killed: 2

#285: Wapato Neighbor Shoots Pit Bull
09/15/08 | Wapato, WA
Summary: A pit bull was shot in a town that bans pit bulls -- Wapato, Washington. A neighbor confessed that he shot the dog named Fred, claiming the dog chased him. The owner of the dog, Jennifer Albritto, said, “It's just outrageous. And especially when that dog doesn't do anything." But even if that dog didn't do anything, pit bulls are banned in Wapato, so Jennifer isn't allowed to have the dog regardless.

#288: SWAT Team Kills Three Pit Bulls, One Bites Officer
09/15/08 | Greenburgh, NY
Summary: Police shot and killed three pit bulls after one bit a police officer attempting to arrest a barricaded felony suspect. The suspect now faces an additional felony assault charge, police said. The attack happened as members of the Greenburgh SWAT unit rushed the semi-abandoned house that Alex Herrera-Washington called home and in which he had barricaded himself.
Pit bulls killed: 3

#289: Alton Officer Shoots Pit Bull
09/17/08 | Alton, IL
Summary: A police officer shot and wounded a pit bull as he was responding to a domestic dispute call. When officers arrived, one of them went around to the back of the house and was met by two loose pit bulls. Police Chief Chris Sullivan said the officer shot one of the dogs as it came toward him in a vicious manner. The dogs belonged to an adjacent neighbor; not the home of the disturbance call.

#291: Estero Man Shoots Pit Bulls Attacking His Pigs
09/17/08 | Estero, FL
Summary: An Estero man shot and killed two pit bulls that attacked the man’s pet pigs named Wilbur and Porckchop. Jerry Ward, of 19561 Burgundy Farms Road, Estero, shot the dogs with a .22-caliber rifle, according to an incident report. A third pit bull escaped into the woods, Ward told Animal Services workers. Read full story.
Pit bulls killed: 2

#292: Newton Officer Shoots Loose Pit Bull
09/18/08 | Newton, MI
Summary: Officers Sammie Taylor and Kendrell Roper were responding to a dangerous dog call when the dog started to chase Roper. "The dog was chasing Officer Roper and when I tried to help, the dog penned me in my car and tried to get in the police car with me," Taylor said. "I had no choice but to kill the dog for our own protection and the residents in the neighborhood."
Pit bulls killed: 1