Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Connecticut: American Bulldogs to be put down, owner faces no additional charges following deadly attack

CONNECTICUT --  The two dogs responsible for a deadly attack in New Haven will be put down, according to police.

The pets were owned by one of 53-year-old Jocelyn Winfrey's friends, Hamilton Hicks.

 

Though Winfrey died on Monday, Hicks will not face additional charges, police said.

Officers said Winfrey was attacked by the two American bulldog mixes, named Nomad and Pirate, outside of a home on Ella Grasso Boulevard on June 20.

They said Hicks tried to pull the animals off of her, but the attack left Winfrey with multiple injuries. Police said she lost her leg and eyes.

Winfrey was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital for care.

 

Police said Hicks himself suffered several canine bites. When they arrived, they said he was covered in dirt and blood. He was also disoriented and also had to be transported to the hospital.

"Couldn't believe it that she got mangled so bad from dogs, it's horrible," said Cherie Reveron, of New Haven, who used to be neighbors on Ellsworth Avenue. "She loved dogs, she had two or three dogs of her own and every day you'd see her walking her dogs, speaking to everyone in the neighborhood."

Police said dog attacks are rare. They said in this case, the dogs were licensed and vaccinated. They were also not roaming the street at the time.

 

The dogs have been quarantined. Police said they'll be euthanized next week.

"Makes me feel bad right there, knowing that I tried to help her and all," said Trayzon Sherman, of New Haven, who lives down the street. Along with others, he tried getting the dogs off Winfrey by throwing rocks at them, doing anything to distract them.

Hicks only faces a drug possession charge, according to police. They said while the situation was horrible and tragic, negligence was not involved.



Police said there was no criminality attached to the case other than the drug charge. They also said their investigation is closed.

Meanwhile, friends and family of Winfrey are mourning her death. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for her funeral.

According to statistics, since last July, there have been 1,971 animal bites in the state that have been reported.


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