A 71-year-old Cleveland woman was attacked and mauled to death by a pit bull on Sunday.
Annie L. Williams suffered through a horrible ten-minute onslaught as terrified neighbors watches and called police, reports the New York Daily News.
“He’s on top of a lady,” the 911 caller said. “Somebody’s trying to get him off but they can’t get him off!”
One neighbor finally shot the dog, which ran into the backyard, where it was tracked down by police and eventually shot and killed.
Although Williams was rushed to South Pointe Hospital, she was pronounced dead following the attack, according to WOIO-TV.
No one has been arrested, and police have not yet said they would press charges against the owner, who has been identified as Williams’ grandson.
“How could this happen to her?” one female relative asked in an emotional news interview. “Why did she have to go through this? She should never have went through this.”
Groups who advocate banning the pit bull breed have pointed to this story as well as others to back up claims that this type of dog is dangerous. Pit bulls have fatally attacked 203 Americans between 2005 and 2014, they point out.
But those who support pit bull ownership say the problem rests with owners, not the dogs themselves. Sara K. Enos, the president of the American Pit Bull Foundation, has said, “Getting a dog is not like purchasing a piece of furniture that you will show off to friends at dinner parties, it is bringing a new member into your family and requires daily commitment for a successful relationship.”