The Dover Police Department responded to an emergency call of a child being attacked by three dogs on Tuesday afternoon, according to M/Cpl. Mark Hoffman, Public Information Officer.
Hoffman said officers arrived and located a severely injured 12-year-old boy while the dogs remained at large in the area. A Dover officer fired shots at the dogs due to their continued aggressive behavior but did not strike them.
Additional officers and Dover Animal Control arrived on scene to assist with keeping the victim and medical personnel safe so the child could be removed from the scene and transported to the hospital. The three dogs remained at large until officers located them and were forced to use their service weapons to neutralize them due to their continued aggression, according to Hoffman.
The child suffered severe injuries and was originally transported to Bayhealth Kent General Hospital for treatment. While the child’s injuries have been determined to not be life-threatening, the child is being transported to A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital for further treatment due to the severity of his wounds.
First State Update has learned that the child is a 12-year-old boy.
The dogs, originally described as Pit Bulls by responding officials, have been identified as two Cane Corsos and one undetermined possible mixed breed. They belonged to a family member of the child victim said Hoffman. The investigation is ongoing at this time.
