A 50-year-old man and his 3-month-old granddaughter have died after a brutal dog attack Wednesday afternoon in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
According to 14th Judicial District Attorney General Craig Northcott, the Coffee County Communications Center received a call around 3 p.m. reporting an “apparent mauling by pit bulls” in the 900 block of E. Warren Street.
Neighbor Brian Kirby said he had just returned home from work when he saw a woman standing in the middle of the road, screaming.
Kirby said he asked if she needed help, but instead of answering, she ran toward the back of the house. Moments later, he heard sirens and realized something was terribly wrong.
When officers arrived, officials said they found the dogs actively attacking the infant. The animals were shot and killed to stop the mauling, but two people—identified as 50-year-old James Alexander Smith and his 3-month-old granddaughter—were already dead.
Kirby said he had never previously seen the dogs act aggressively toward people, but he had witnessed violent behavior toward other animals.
He claimed the dogs killed his pet cat about a week earlier and said he had planned to file a police report about the incident.
“I don’t believe that they thought this would ever happen,” Kirby said of the dogs’ owners. “I’m sure it was not done on purpose. I think that people just have animals, and they just need to put them on a leash better; that’s all. And I’m not blaming them for what happened at all. I know that they’re devastated more than we are because it’s their family. It’s just hard to understand and wrap your head around it.”
Kirby said he brought his cat home eight years ago, and the loss still hurts.
“She was just a wonderful cat,” he said. “She was just an ideal cat, never made a mess; she was just a beautiful animal that I loved very much.”
He hopes the tragedy reminds pet owners that responsibility includes not just loving their animals, but also keeping them properly restrained for everyone’s safety. He added that he never wants to see something like this happen again.
“The police are limited; they can’t do much about it,” Kirby said. “I don’t believe they thought the dogs were dangerous. I believe they just had too many.”
Northcott said an investigation is underway to determine whether the dogs had a documented history of violent behavior and whether any other factors “may have contributed to this situation.” He confirmed that the dogs involved in the attack were euthanized and that additional dogs from the home were removed by Tullahoma Animal Control.
No decisions have yet been made regarding possible criminal charges, Northcott said.
“This was an especially difficult and brutal scene,” he stated in a press release. “Please pray for the family of the victims in this difficult time as well as the first responders as they cope with the trauma from what they witnessed.”
The Tullahoma Police Department is leading the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Jessica Taylor at 931-455-0530, or Investigator Jason Williams or Investigator James Sherill with the District Attorney’s Office at 931-723-5055.
