New Jersey

3 Women Attacked by Dogs in New Jersey; Cops Open Fire, Killing 2 Pit Bulls

Two dogs were shot by police, three others were taken by animal control and three people were bitten in the chaos that erupted on Amity Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Tuesday

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Three women were bitten by a group of pit bulls that started fighting at their New Jersey home Tuesday, drawing an emergency response that ended with two of the dogs shot by police, a top local official says.

Five dogs had been fighting at the Amity Street home in Elizabeth when someone tried to separate them, according to the city's mayor, Chris Bollwage. That's when the mixed breed dogs turned on the mother and her two daughters, a 24-year-old and a 30-year-old.

Someone managed to call police and responding officers shot two of the five dogs, killing a mother and one of her pups. The other three were taken away by animal control; there was no word from the city yet on what would happen to the dogs brought to the shelter.

A neighbor, who has a dog of his own, said the police made the right decision to put the dogs down.

"We don't want nobody to be hurt by dogs. I love dogs, [but] I would say in this case it was necessary to happen," the neighbor said, adding that police essentially had no choice but to shoot. "I saw the girl came out when police was here, she was screaming her mother was bitten by the dog, she had blood on her clothing."

Another neighbor, who works at a doggie day care, said the dogs were aggressive in their gated alleyway.

"You walk past them and they’re outside, they will let you know. They will say high, but not in the nicest way," said Katie McGrory.

The two daughters — the owners of the dogs — had minor bites to their hands, according to their father. The mother had a broken arm and required stitches where the dog bit her, the husband said. All three victims were taken to a hospital for treatment.

A 13-year-old child in the home was also taken to a hospital, but the child was not believed to have suffered physical injuries, Bollwage said. The mayor added that a mother pit bull and her puppies that were not involved in the fight were left at the home. It wasn't clear why the owner had so many dogs in the house.

Police and detectives from the Union County prosecutor went over the scene, though there was no apparent evidence of any crime.

Chopper 4 showed a sprawling emergency presence at the scene, with at least a half-dozen police vehicles and officers cordoning off the entire area around 8 a.m. Yellow caution tape appeared to block off one or two homes.

The investigation is ongoing.

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