9-year-old Detroit girl killed in attack by 3 dogs

DETROIT – A 9-year-old Detroit girl was killed when she was attacked by three dogs as she rode on a bike in an alley near her home.

Detroit Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood said neighbours tried to stop the Monday afternoon attack on the girl without success. Police haven’t identified the victim, who was taken to Children’s Hospital of Michigan, where she was pronounced dead.

In a statement, the Detroit Health Department, which oversees the city’s animal control unit, said two of the dogs were retrieved by their owner. The department says officials are seeking a court order to seize the animals, which police described as pit bulls or pit-bull mixes.

However, a Detroit Fire Department emergency responder says one of the appeared to have been shot by a neighbour. Police and animal control representatives did not immediately confirm its death.