Pit Bull Kills Child
Demi Marie Witherspoon
2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Kills 2-Year Old Child in Portsmouth, Virginia
GoFundMe: Funeral Expense for Demi organized by NATASHA WALTERS
Portsmouth, VA - A young child is dead after being attacked by a family pit bull in Portsmouth. On Monday, police were dispatched to a home in the 5600 block of Darby Close at 1:53 pm, according to Misty Holley with the Portsmouth Police Department. When officers and paramedics arrived, they found the 2-year old suffering life-threatening injuries. The child was transported to a local hospital, where she died. The family surrendered the 1-year old male pit bull to animal control.
One neighbor said the child's family had moved in over the weekend.
A 2-year-old girl died Monday after being bitten by a family pit bull in Portsmouth, Virginia.
The dog bit the Portsmouth child on the 5600 block of Darby Close. Police said they were called around 1:53 p.m. and, when medics arrived, the child had life-threatening injuries.
The child was rushed to the hospital and died later that day. Police said the incident is still under investigation and could not say how the child was attacked or where the dog came from.
In the audio dispatch file from Broadcastify.com, the dispatcher for Portsmouth Police and Fire, states: "We have a pit bull who just bit the complainant's daughter's face completely off. She's not breathing." After Engine 3 arrives at the scene, the fireman reports, "We have a pit bull that's covered in blood here." Listening to this dramatic audio paints a portrait as vivid as any person would need to comprehend the dangers of bringing a pit bull into a home with a young child.
The family is said to have recently moved into the neighborhood. Neighbors describe the attacking pit bull as "a family dog". One neighbor reports they had never seen anything that would suggest the dog would ever harm a child.
The dog, a 1-year-old male pit bull, was surrendered to animal control officers and placed in a mandatory 10-day quarantine on Monday, where it currently remains.
The police claim the pit bull is a family dog. Authorities are currently working with animal control to determine the cause of the attack. Detective Holley says their major crimes unit is working on the matter.
Detectives and animal control officers are investigating the case, but have yet to release file charges or additional details.
Victim Identified
The obituary for the victim identifies her as Demi Marie Witherspoon. The GoFundMe created for her funeral expenses has reached over $6,000 and states, "Demi just lost her father a year ago. This alone was an experience no daughter or mother should ever have to face." Photographs from her mother's Facebook page indicate her father was Eric Witherspoon, Jr. He died of gun violence in Hampton, Virginia in November 2018, according to a national gun violence memorial website.
The little girl's family now has two family members on national memorial websites prior to each reaching the age of 25. Demi became the 601st American killed by pit bull violence since we began tracking this data at Fatal Pit Bull Attacks - The Archival Record. Demi also became the 238th child killed by pit bull violence since 1980, when the pit bull problem began to emerge, and the 187th child killed by pit bull violence since the CDC stopped tracking breed data in 1998.
It is not the only incident, though, which has occurred in recent days involving a dog and a child. A Prince George County police officer shot a dog on Tuesday after it attacked a child and then charged at the officers and nearby bystanders.
The 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital with minor injuries following the attack at 5.30 pm at Old Colony Drive. When the officers came upon the scene, the dog had been restrained by its owner. Lamar Robinson’s a spokesperson for the police department claimed that it broke free again and could not be subdued with pepper spray. That is when the police opted to fire on the animal though they did not kill it.
Demi Marie Witherspoon
2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Kills 2-Year Old Child in Portsmouth, Virginia
GoFundMe: Funeral Expense for Demi organized by NATASHA WALTERS
Portsmouth, VA - A young child is dead after being attacked by a family pit bull in Portsmouth. On Monday, police were dispatched to a home in the 5600 block of Darby Close at 1:53 pm, according to Misty Holley with the Portsmouth Police Department. When officers and paramedics arrived, they found the 2-year old suffering life-threatening injuries. The child was transported to a local hospital, where she died. The family surrendered the 1-year old male pit bull to animal control.
One neighbor said the child's family had moved in over the weekend.
A 2-year-old girl died Monday after being bitten by a family pit bull in Portsmouth, Virginia.
The dog bit the Portsmouth child on the 5600 block of Darby Close. Police said they were called around 1:53 p.m. and, when medics arrived, the child had life-threatening injuries.
The child was rushed to the hospital and died later that day. Police said the incident is still under investigation and could not say how the child was attacked or where the dog came from.
In the audio dispatch file from Broadcastify.com, the dispatcher for Portsmouth Police and Fire, states: "We have a pit bull who just bit the complainant's daughter's face completely off. She's not breathing." After Engine 3 arrives at the scene, the fireman reports, "We have a pit bull that's covered in blood here." Listening to this dramatic audio paints a portrait as vivid as any person would need to comprehend the dangers of bringing a pit bull into a home with a young child.
The family is said to have recently moved into the neighborhood. Neighbors describe the attacking pit bull as "a family dog". One neighbor reports they had never seen anything that would suggest the dog would ever harm a child.
The dog, a 1-year-old male pit bull, was surrendered to animal control officers and placed in a mandatory 10-day quarantine on Monday, where it currently remains.
The police claim the pit bull is a family dog. Authorities are currently working with animal control to determine the cause of the attack. Detective Holley says their major crimes unit is working on the matter.
Detectives and animal control officers are investigating the case, but have yet to release file charges or additional details.
Victim Identified
The obituary for the victim identifies her as Demi Marie Witherspoon. The GoFundMe created for her funeral expenses has reached over $6,000 and states, "Demi just lost her father a year ago. This alone was an experience no daughter or mother should ever have to face." Photographs from her mother's Facebook page indicate her father was Eric Witherspoon, Jr. He died of gun violence in Hampton, Virginia in November 2018, according to a national gun violence memorial website.
The little girl's family now has two family members on national memorial websites prior to each reaching the age of 25. Demi became the 601st American killed by pit bull violence since we began tracking this data at Fatal Pit Bull Attacks - The Archival Record. Demi also became the 238th child killed by pit bull violence since 1980, when the pit bull problem began to emerge, and the 187th child killed by pit bull violence since the CDC stopped tracking breed data in 1998.
It is not the only incident, though, which has occurred in recent days involving a dog and a child. A Prince George County police officer shot a dog on Tuesday after it attacked a child and then charged at the officers and nearby bystanders.
The 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital with minor injuries following the attack at 5.30 pm at Old Colony Drive. When the officers came upon the scene, the dog had been restrained by its owner. Lamar Robinson’s a spokesperson for the police department claimed that it broke free again and could not be subdued with pepper spray. That is when the police opted to fire on the animal though they did not kill it.
