A family friend was watching the 8-month-old baby at a home on Prancer Court in Lusby about 1 p.m. Thursday when the family's pit bull attacked the baby, police said.
Two sheriff's deputies who arrived to the house saw the pit bull attacking the baby and quickly decided the only way to stop the attack was to shoot the dog, killing it.
The baby was already dead.
Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans said the deputies who responded are distraught.
"You could see the emotion -- how they were upset. They felt kind of helpless that they couldn't do more. That was the result of frustration that they couldn't do anything more to help save this child," Evans said.
The sheriff's office has not released the name of the baby boy, to protect the family's privacy.
"This is one of the worst tragedies that our community has suffered in such a long time. It's almost unspeakable. It's a very, very close, tight-knit community," said Calvert County Commissioner Tom Hejl said.
Nine-hundred cities in the country have regulations on pit bulls.
According to dogsbite.org, there were 31 dog-related deaths nationwide in 2016. Twenty-two of those deaths were from pit bull attacks.
The Calvert County Animal Control Chief Craig Dichter said he doesn't think this attack indicates the law needs to be changed in the county.
"The majority of the pit bull breeds or type breeds that we deal with are very friendly and no problems. There are some that are sometimes a problem in a way, but do I think we need a ban on it? I don't think we need to go that far," Dichter said.
Evans said the sheriff's office has completed its investigation and there will be no criminal charges filed.
(NBC Washington - March 24, 2017)
