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DETROIT (AP) – A man was in custody Tuesday following the death of a 9-year-old girl in Detroit, mutilated by three dogs, despite the efforts of her neighbors and her own "broken-hearted" father, who lamented that "she was gone when I arrived her."
In his family, 9-year-old Emma Hernandez remembers him as a happy and intelligent girl after her death during a dog attack while she was cycling. (Source: Hernandez Family / WDIV / CNN)
Emma Hernandez was cycling in an alley on Monday afternoon when three dogs, described as pit bulls or pit bull mixes, freed themselves from a construction site and attacked her, announced the police. She died later in a hospital and the owner of the dog was arrested. No charges have been filed, although the police sent a warrant to prosecutors.
"I did my best, I tried CPR, I tried to help her, I did everything I could," she said. Tuesday at WWJ-AM Emma's father, Armando Hernandez. "She was gone when I reached her."
One of the dogs was shot by a passerby while a medical team attempted to rescue the girl in an alley. The other dogs were captured. The neighbors threw bricks at the dogs in an attempt to stop the attack, police said.
"They did not stop," Edward Cruz, the Detroit News newspaper, told the newspaper, which launched a brick after hearing screams. "I had to intervene."
Hernandez said the dogs lived in a house behind his and that he had a fight with the neighbor last week. Hernandez says the dogs were not properly restrained and the fence was too fragile.
"I knew the dogs were there, I knew the neighbor," he said. "We quarreled about this last week and he just did not take care of his dogs, he could have prevented that."
The dogs will probably be euthanized, city officials said.
Hernandez said that he continued to replay the tragedy and that he felt "empty".
"I'm really heartbroken right now, I can not explain it," he said. "Just, every time I close my eyes, man, I see my little girl."
Detroit police chief James Craig on Tuesday afternoon described the case as "tragic" and "desolate".
"The owner of these dogs should be held responsible," he said. "Certainly, the owner has the responsibility, when he has violent animals, to secure them at all times.If you can not secure the animal, you should not have the animal."
The incident follows the death of Xavier Strickland, a 4-year-old Detroit boy who died in December 2015 and attacked with his mother by four pit bulls. The police had to shoot them to free the boy's body.
The owner of the dogs, Geneke Lyons, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter several months later. Lyons was not at home at the time of the attack, but prosecutors said he should be held responsible for the fact that the dogs were not under control. A judge had previously dismissed a charge of second degree murder.
Many bullfights have made headlines in Michigan and elsewhere. A 2014 report from the American Veterinary Medical Association indicates that pit bulls are not disproportionate, although pit bull dog owners face a strong stigma of race. However, some race-specific community-based advocates say that pit bulls are the cause of most fatal dog bites.
Last year, the Michigan Senate passed a law that would have banned local governments from enforcing dog-specific rules for breeds. The measure was passed by a committee of the House, but was never voted on by the entire House.
At least 20 states prohibit such legislation.
Copyright 2019 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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