A Minnesota man, Dezmond Trawick, 22, was playing with his older brother's four pit bulls when he was attacked by the dogs.
Trawick was hospitalized with extensive injuries but was pronounced dead an hour later.
Trawick was Playing Fetch with the Dogs When He was Attacked
Thomas Trawick's family said that he was watching his older brother's four pit bulls at his house, Thursday, in his backyard with the dogs when the attack took place. Jerry Nelson, Thomas Trawick's neighbor was interviewed by Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, describing the scene he had witnessed as the four dogs brutally attacked the 22-year-old.
"I've been messed up all day today," he stated. He added that he saw Thomas Trawick tossing a tennis ball to the four dogs in his backyard.
"I thought they were playing, you know, jumping on him, and I was like, 'Hey, you need help?' And then he looked at me. He's like, you know, fighting them off. He's like, you know – kind of hesitated. But then it got really serious. He's like, 'Yeah, can you come here? Can you come help me?'"
Trawick Died Due to the Severity of the Injuries
Nelson relayed that he called 911, during the attack. He began throwing rocks and sticks at the dogs to try and get them off of Thomas Trawick.
"I mean, those are big, giant, dogs and I couldn't get them off of him," said Nelson. "It was horrible calling because I – I never envisioned that. All I knew that he was hurt and needed help and he was going to come back. But, you know, death wasn't even on my mind."
Brooklyn Center Police Department said they received a call around 12:45 that afternoon. Once police arrived to the house, they shot a nonlethal round that hit one of the pit bulls, leading all the dogs to head back into Thomas Trawick's house.
He suffered from "extensive bites" and most of his clothing was torn from the dogs, according to police. Thomas Trawick was intubated and immediately taken to North Memorial Health Hospital where he died just one hour later. Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office revealed that he died due to the severity of his injuries.
Dogs Are in Quarantine, to Undergo 'Dangerous Dog Evaluation'
His death has been labeled as an accident by the medical examiner's office. The dogs are now under quarantine at Pups Under Police Security (PUPS), an animal holding facility. Police say the pit bulls must go through a "dangerous dog evaluation" to determine what will happen to them, according to a report by Minneapolis StarTribune.
A GoFundMe has now been set up by Trawick's family, to help them cover funeral and memorial expenses as well other costs as they mourn his loss
