Our hearts are breaking. A seven-year-old boy, who has not yet been named, was mauled to death by two pit bulls in his Lowell Boston neighborhood on the night of Oct. 21, according to the Boston Herald. Somehow, the child got inside a neighbor’s fenced-in yard, which is where the dogs attacked and killed him. And if that’s not horrifying enough, about 15 people witnessed the tragedy — they just didn’t feel like they could do anything to stop it. By the time police arrived at 6 pm, it was too late.
“He was already gone as soon as we got there. No one knew what to do — probably 15 people just watching it happen … just screaming,” David Swiniarski, 22, told the publication. “I feel like if someone got in there, they were next… There was nothing anyone could do. Two 100-120-pound pit bulls … It was actually horrific to watch.” David’s roommate did call 911, but sadly, at that point, nothing could be done. The child lived on Clare Street, and after he was killed, the media outlet noted that a woman and young girl placed a vase of sunflowers inside the fenced-in area where the boy was attacked. They put the flowers next to a large blood stain, several feet from where police located the child’s remains.
As of right now, authorities do not know how the boy got into the yard. After all, it was surrounded by a chain-link fence that reportedly had a chain hanging from the gate above to cinder blocks to stop it from opening inward. So far, no one has been charged in the incident either. A man named Roger Rodriguez, 56, told the Herald that the young dogs were brother and sister and that the owners are an Iraq war veteran and his girlfriend. Apparently, the veteran used the dogs for emotional support. “They’re good people,” Roger said.
DA continuing to investigate pit bull attack on Clare St. in Lowell where 7-year-old boy was killed. pic.twitter.com/odgs4KFnNY
— Doug Cope (@dcopewbz) October 23, 2017
The male dog ended up escaping after the incident though and was fatally shot by police. The female is currently in the city’s custody. The owners apparently had warned kids not to come in the yard, as they said neighborhood kids often stood outside the fence and teased the animals. We cannot even imagine what the boy’s family is going through right now.
In fact, according to witnesses, his mother was seen at the site of the attack with the other onlookers. She was identified as a woman screaming, “Oh, my baby!” on a disturbing video one neighbor shot of the incident. “I’d see him riding his bike up and down the street. He was just a little boy who loved to be free, always smiling, always laughing,” Giovanni Miranda, 28, who has an 8-year-old daughter said.
Our hearts go out to this young boy’s loved ones. HollywoodLifers, please leave your condolences below.