A Bronx man was mauled to death by his dog inside his home on Friday morning, according to police, leading responding officers to shoot and kill the canine.
According to NYPD officials, police were called to a building on Simpson Street around 3 a.m. The 911 caller stated that the dog was biting its owner — whom family members later identified as 41-year-old Kaeem Robinson, as reported by the Gothamist.
The two responding officers saw the dog attacking Robinson and fired their guns, according to the NYPD. The dog was struck multiple times and died at the scene.
Robinson's sister, Kayesha Barnett said she didn't know much about the dog, except that Robinson had gotten it to help him cope with losing his 18-year-old daughter to cancer two years ago.
"We're just finding out about the dog ourselves," she said, adding that the building, which is part of the city's supportive housing program, has strict rules about pets. "The dog was never supposed to be in the building. No paperwork. I'm just not understanding how the dog got past security."
Several neighbors told Gothamist they heard "horrific" screaming in the hallway when the dog was attacking Robinson. Robinson's family also said there was a woman with him in the apartment at the time of the incident, but they didn't know her name or her relationship with him.
The relatives said Robinson came from a family of animal lovers. His brother Courtney Maine said the siblings had lots of pets growing up, including cats, dogs and snakes.
The NYPD officers involved in the incident were taken to a local hospital for evaluation, according to the department. The building was closed to press on Friday morning as detectives continued to investigate.
