A mother and father woke up to find their pet German shepherd mauling their baby to death next to their bed, police say.
The infant, who police said was less than a year old, was sleeping in a ‘swing’ close to their parent’s bed when the dog attacked on Monday, in Hampton, Virginia.
Hampton Police said that the baby – whose name and gender have not been released – was ‘sleeping next to the bed when the incident took place,’ and that the parents were ‘awakened by a large amount of motion.
A spokesman added: ‘The child’s father observed the extensive injuries to the child and immediately euthanized the canine.’ The dad, who has also not been named, is said to have shot the German shepherd-cross dead outside the house.
Someone in the residence made a 911 call to report ‘a vicious canine that had killed an infant,’ police said.
Sergeant Reggie Williams of the Hampton Police said to CBS 3 that the investigation is still ongoing at this time, but said the family is shaken up over the incident.
‘There are absolutely no words that I could tell you that could possibly express the emotions that the family is going through right now,’ Williams said. ‘There’s just no indication that this is anything other than a horrific accident.
He confirmed that there were just the two parents home in the house, and the parents told police that the dog had not been previously aggressive.
Sergeant Williams later told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s an extremely unfortunate and tragic incident. (The family has) not spoken with me directly, however, I’ve been certainly notified that they are grieving. They are going through an unimaginable circumstance that you can’t put into words.’
Animal Control was notified of the incident and took possession of the dog, police said.
The investigation is still ongoing at this time.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
