Nov 2, 2023 SPOKANE, Wash. A child was killed in a dog attack Tuesday night in northeast Spokane, according to the Spokane Police Department.
SPD says they responded to reports of an animal attack at a home on East Walton Avenue near North Nevada Street just after 8 p.m. Tuesday night when officers arrived and found that a child was attacked by the family's dog.
SPD says the child died from his injuries despite the efforts of first responders.
SPD says family member's attempts to protect the child led to the dog being severely hurt, and officers ultimately euthanized the dog at the scene.
"I never expected something like this to happen so close to home," said Heather Sandy, who lives next door.
Sandy says she's known the family living next door for the last six years, and this child their whole life.
"This little boy, he's got he's full of energy," Sandy said. "He was kind, loving."
As a mother, whose own children played with this child, she says she's unsure of how to even break the news to them.
"It's hard to even know that, you know, I'll never be seeing him outside again. I'll never, you know, hear him laugh. Nothing," Sandy said.
SPD says there doesn't appear to be any criminality involved in the attack at this time, saying it was "a tragic accident." SPD says the attack happened inside a home and was not related to trick-or-treating activity.