A North Carolina woman, her husband and a police officer were attacked over the weekend by a pit bull dog who lived in the house of one of his neighbors.
Ann Joyner 78 years old, had her foot amputated after the Oct. 9 attack on Rocky Mount, as reported by CBS17. Her husband, Bobby, 82, suffered injuries to his hands, arms and body.
“I heard my wife screaming so I looked and… Ann was lying on the ground, and the dog had already bitten her foot. It was just terrible,” Bobby told CBS17.
Rocky Mount Police Department Corporal Ricky Jackson told People that officers received a call around noon, the time the pit bull had attacked the couple.
“The officer arrived on scene and the dog was actively attacking two victims,” Jackson said. “The dog also attacked an officer,” he added.
“The officer got out of his patrol car and the dog turned on him and bit him in the thigh,” the media outlet reported. “The officer fired twice and hit the dog to stop the attack.” The agent’s name was not released.
Ultimately, the dog was euthanized
Jackson reported that the incident occurred on the neighbor’s property and that the dog was not on a leash at the time of the attack.
Joyner’s daughter, Melissa, said the dog tore the tendons in her father’s hand and “then opened up the joint,” according to CBS17. “They had to do surgery to fix that. He’s got some nice bites in here too, puncture wounds.”
“If you have a dog like that, recognize that it is an animal and treat it with kindness, because if it attacks someone it can be very dangerous,” she said. “We’re lucky my mom and dad are alive honestly.”
Margaret, daughter of Melissa and granddaughter of the injured, opened a GoFundMe account to be able to pay for her grandparents’ medical services; At the time of making this entry, they had donations of $2,910 dollars of a goal of $10,000, with a total of 57 deposits.
“I am trying to raise money for my grandparents. They were both attacked by a pit bull. My grandmother had to have her foot amputated and the other one is in bad shape. She needs skin grafts. They will not receive help and the expenses are adding up. Please, anything helps. God bless you all,” she wrote on the anchor site.
For her part, neighbor Julie Proctor told CBS17 that the pit bull, named “Cosmo,” belonged to her grandson.
“I’ve had nightmares all night,” she said. “I have not slept because I witnessed the whole attack. I screamed, screamed, screamed until her husband came out, and then the Dog started attacking him,” Proctor said.
Proctor was cited for violating a city ordinance for a free/unrestrained animal, Jackson said.