TULLAHOMA, Tenn.- A 50-year-old man and his 3-month-old granddaughter are dead after a violent dog attack Wednesday afternoon in Tullahoma, Tennessee. According to 14th Judicial District Attorney General Craig Northcott, the Coffee County Communications Center received a call at approximately 3 p.m. about an “apparent mauling by pitbulls.
A neighbor, Brian Kirby, said he came home from work and saw a woman in the middle of the street screaming.
He asked the woman if she needed help, but instead of answering him, he said, she ran toward the back of the house. Moments later, Kirby heard sirens.
Officials reported that when law enforcement arrived, they saw the dogs attacking the infant. The dogs were reportedly killed to stop the attack, but two people — identified as 50-year-old James Alexander Smith and his 3-month-old granddaughter — were already deceased.
Kirby said while this was the first time he had seen the dogs be violent toward humans, he said it isn’t the first instance of violence he’s seen.
He said he saw the dogs being violent toward other animals, adding that he had intended to make a police report a week prior, claiming they had killed his cat.
“I don’t believe that they thought this would ever happen,” Kirby said, referring to 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 brought his cat home eight years ago. “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.”
However, Kirby hopes pet owners know that taking care of animals includes putting them on leashes for safety.
“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.”
According to Northcott, an investigation is ongoing to determine if there was a violent history with the dogs and other potential issues that “may have contributed to this situation.”
He said the dogs involved in the attack have been euthanized, and other dogs in the home were taken by Tullahoma Animal Control.
No decisions have been made regarding possible criminal charges, said Northcott.
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