What to Know
- A 19-month-old boy in Brooklyn died after he was attacked by a family dog while he was under the care of older children, a "horrific" incident in which charges are pending, according to police.
- Officers responded to a call late Tuesday about a dog attack at an apartment in Flatbush. When they arrived, police saw the bloody young boy with bite wounds to his neck and shoulder, according to police
- The children were left in the care of their father, who apparently was at work and left the children unattended at the time of the incident, police said Wednesday.
A 19-month-old boy in Brooklyn died after he was attacked by a family dog while he was under the care of older children, a "horrific" incident in which the father has been charged with manslaughter, according to police.
Officers responded to a call late Tuesday about a dog attack at an apartment on the 300 block of East 17th Street in Flatbush. When they arrived, police saw the bloody young boy, later identified as Ryan Foster, with bite wounds to his neck and shoulder, according to the police department.
Little Ryan and another person were transported to Maimonides Hospital, according to the FDNY, where the toddler was pronounced dead.
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It's unclear who the other person was but police said Ryan was being watched by a 9-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy. Police say those two children were unharmed. The children were left in the care of their father, Vernon Foster, who apparently was at work and left the children unattended at the time of the incident, police said Wednesday.
The mother, Susan Hyre, told NBC New York that the boys' father didn't have full custody of the children, and they were supposed to stay with him at an apartment on Green Avenue. Instead, Hyre said the father took them to the apartment on 17th Street where his parents live, but who were out of town at a wedding in Antigua.
Local
The father's mother called Hyre from Antigua, telling her she needed to go to their apartment because Ryan had been bitten by the dog. Hyre told News 4 that she first learned her son was dead while she was inside a police interrogation room. The other two children were returned to her on Wednesday, and she met with the Administration for Children's Services.
The dog, described as a rottweiler, had been contained inside of a room before the cops got there and it is now under the care of Animal Care and Control. It is unclear what officials plan to do with the dog.
Vernon Foster was arrested and charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
According to NYPD Assistant Chief Michael Kemper of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, said that there was a previous dog attack involving the same animal biting one of the children "about a year or two ago." It is unclear what child was bitten in that incident.
Police say an investigation is ongoing and charges are pending in relation to Tuesday's tragic death.
"This is a horrific scene, a terrible terrible tragedy. I can't imagine what the family is going through," Kemper said.
