AKRON, Ohio — A 16-month-old girl is dead after being mauled by a dog Sunday morning in Akron.
Neighbors and police say it was a horrific scene on Westmoreland Street. Witnesses told authorities the child's uncle had gotten into an argument with a female acquaintance around 10:30 a.m. that caused the family's two pit bulls to become "agitated," and the pair then attacked the toddler. The uncle went back inside the house to discover what had happened.
"That's what I can't get out of my head: Her screaming and the 911 operator carrying that baby out," neighbor Richard Turner said. "That'll always be with me."
The girl, since identified as Kavay Louis-Calderon, was already badly hurt when officers arrived at the scene. She was rushed to Akron Children's Hospital, but died there from her injuries.
"This is a nightmare that they're going through," Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said of the family. "They're destroyed by this, they're absolutely destroyed by this. Nobody wanted this to happen to this child."
This is apparently not the first incident involving these dogs. According to neighbors, one of them attacked a mail man over the summer.
"Bit him bad," Jerry Smith said. "Bit his hand, bit his leg. They [didn't do anything] about it, but they don't deliver mail over there anymore."
"I didn't let my grandkids play outside just because I didn't know if the dogs were in the house," Turner added.
The dogs were allowed to stay at the home the, but now they are in possession of Summit County Animal Control as police investigate. By law, dog owners are responsible for the actions of their pets, but no charges have been filed at this time.
"I'm reluctant to lay blame or responsibility on anybody at this point," Mylett said.
This evening, family members are heartbroken, as neighbors wonder whether the attack could've been prevented.
"Because of the incident with the mailman, they should've, I think, gotten rid of the dogs," Turner stated.
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