‘It was going nuts’: Elderly wheelchair-bound man is mauled to death by his son’s dog and his wife is rushed to hospital suffering severe injuries as neighbours describe the horror attack
- The man’s body was found after he was believed to be attacked by a pit bull
- A woman in her 60s was taken to hospital with bites to her face and chest
- Police and the RSPCA spent several hours trying to catch the vicious dog
An elderly wheelchair-bound man has been killed and his wife badly injured after a dog attack at a home in Melbourne’s north.
Emergency services were called to a home at Ancona Drive in Mill Park about 6.30pm on Wednesday, where they found the body of a man believed to be in his 60s.
The man’s wife, also in her 60s, was found with serious injuries to her upper body.
She was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital where she remains in a stable condition, the Herald Sun reported.
When police arrived on the scene, they shot at the dog – believed to be an American Staffordshire Terrier – to try and stop it from further attacking the woman and other family members at the home.
An elderly wheelchair-bound man is dead and a woman badly injured after a dog attack at a home in Melbourne ‘s north (stock image)
Officers and RSPCA crew then reportedly spent several hours trying to capture the dog, which had blood stains on its teeth.
When the animal was eventually captured, it was transferred into a van by the RSPCA just before 10.30pm and is being held by the council.
Senior Sergeant Glenn Parker said the dead man’s daughter-in-law has given consent for the dog to be put down.
The dog belongs to the occupant’s son, the dog’s been here for quite some time,’ he said at the scene.
‘(The dog) will be taken to a veterinarian, and my understanding is that the owner of the dog has actually consented to that dog being put down.
‘It’s quite familiar with all of the members of the family and my understanding is it’s out of character for the dog.’
The man who was killed was using a wheelchair, 7 News reported.
Police said he had recently injured himself, so he was relying on crutches and the wheelchair to move.
Several witnesses in the neighborhood spoke of hearing ‘deafening’ screams about the time of the ordeal.
One male neighbour said he tried to hose the dog with water.
‘There was no stopping it,’ he said, adding that it was ‘giant’.
Another witness said that the dog ‘was going nuts’.
Neighbours say they would often hear the dog barking but it had never caused any trouble.
Victoria Police said they are still investigating the circumstances of the incident.