Patrolman Frank Durante was bitten in the left thigh and left forearm on Saturday shortly after 5 p.m. while attempting to intervene in a domestic dispute at a home on Freemont Street, according to police.
He remained at UPMC Presbyterian on Monday because of the severity of the injuries to his arm, police Capt. Tim Hanna said.
“It’s pretty mangled,” Hanna said. “He obviously won’t be coming back to work for some time.”
The dog was shot and killed by another police officer at the scene, according to city Animal Control Officer Ken Ferree, who indicated he will cite the owner, Danielle Holloway, 29, of McKeesport for failing to have a license or proof of shots.
Ferree said the dog has broken loose and animal charges have been filed against Holloway in the past.
McKeesport Police were initially called to a house at 1802 Freemont Street to handle a custody dispute on Saturday.
Hanna said the two people involved in the dispute decided to go inside their home to resolve the issues. When they opened the door to the house, the dog broke loose and attacked Officer Durante, who has been on the force since 2005.
“He was trained to be very protective, we got him as a guard dog,” said the owner of the pit bull Danielle Holloway.
Holloway, whose dog’s name is Goochie, said her estranged husband, Harry Holloway, actually let him outside. And when the dog saw the officers responding to the call, he did what he was trained to do: protect.
“My dog jumped and latched onto the officers arm,” Holloway said. “And the officer outside of the gate began to shoot at my dog and my children were so close. My mother had to take them home and showered them they were covered in blood.”
Officer Ferree said the dog, which he estimated weighed 85-90 pounds, remained aggressive at the scene even after it had been shot.
Even as he tried to gather the animal to take it to the kennel, Ferree said, “the dog was still fighting me. It was very actively aggressive.”
The dog died on the way to the kennel, apparently due to blood loss, Ferree said. Its remains were turned over to the Allegheny County Health Department, which is testing for rabies.
“I think they followed the procedure,” Holloway said. “When an officer was getting hurt, he was getting bit, but he was safely outside the fence, so I don’t believe that they had to shoot as many times as they did.”
They are trained to STOP THE THREAT. The threat (aka the dog) could have jumped the fence and continued its attack - or run down the street attacking random people.
Holloway said she understands the citations, but doesn't agree with them.
Holloway said her family is upset over the loss of their dog, but also sad that an officer was hurt outside her home.
"We pray for the officer who got hurt," Holloway said.
Ferree said it was a very unfortunate incident for all involved.
“[Yes], someone lost a family pet but we now have a police officer in the hospital,” he said.
(CBS Local - July 16, 2013)
