Pit bull attacks five people; is shot and killed by police

A pit bull that bit five people and was evading capture in North Spokane this evening has been shot and killed by police. The attacks happened at an apartment complex in the 6800 block of North Atlantic, said Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service director Nancy Hill. When an animal protection officer arrived, the animal was still loose and the SCRAPS officer tried to catch it. “An apartment complex is not well suited to cornering and capturing the dog,” Hill said. A Spokane police officer assisting with the call killed the dog with a shotgun when it could not be caught, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Mark Gregory. “They wanted to be as humane as possible,” he said. Gregory said it’s his understanding that the dog was new to the family that owned it. “It went ballistic,” he said. The dog’s owner was the first victim. “It sounds like the owner was outside playing with the dog and it bit him,” Hill said. “Maybe the dog somehow got overexcited.” The owner has not yet been interviewed. SCRAPS will do an investigation to determine what happened and if charges should be filed against the dog’s owner, Hill said. “It’s too early to say,” she said. This is the third pit bull attack in a week. A dog that attacked an 8-year-old girl and two men who came to her rescue last week is scheduled to be euthanized next week. A pit bull that attacked a police K-9 in Spokane Valley on Monday was shot by the dog’s handler during the attack.