6-year-old boy killed, woman injured in dog attack

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) - A child was killed and a woman was injured in a dog attack in Portland on Tuesday.

Just after 7:30 a.m., authorities responded to a possible animal attack in the Parkrose Heights neighborhood. Police say the incident was a dog mauling that happened inside a home.

At the scene, authorities found a 6-year-old boy dead and a woman with injuries to her hands. The woman was taken to the hospital.

During the investigation, police learned the boy’s grandmother had dropped him off with her friend, who takes him to school. The friend, also the dog’s owner, had gone into the garage where her dogs were. When the boy opened the door to the garage, one of the dogs mauled him. A second dog was also involved in the attack.

“We understand that the homeowner/dog owner did everything in her power to stop this attack, at some point even grabbing a gun. It never got that far,” Portland Police Bureau Public Information Officer Mike Benner said. “She did everything she could to save this boy’s life.”

Police say the dogs, described as very large and heavy Great Dane mastiff mixes, are still inside the home where the attack happened. Multnomah County Animal Services has responded to the scene and will remove the dogs from the home.

Benner says it’s too early in the investigation to say if the owner of the dogs will face charges.

“I speak for everyone at the bureau when I say that our hearts break for this little boy, for his family and friends. Anytime something like this happens, it’s a shock to the conscience, but to have this happen just weeks before Christmas is unimaginable,” Benner said.

The Portland Police Bureau Child Abuse Team is leading the investigation with help from the Homicide Division.

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