A pit bull that was attacking a 6-year-old girl was shot and killed in Newton County, authorities said.
Evelyn Rico told Channel 2 Action News that she was the first to hear the girl being attacked in her front yard, which is off Fieldview Lane in unincorporated Covington.
“She was screaming and screaming,” Rico said. “(The dog) was running around in circle like he had a little rag doll.”
The pit bull had bit the girl’s ankle and was dragging her around the yard, she told Channel 2. Her son, Rico Dean, ran and grabbed a gun to try to hit the dog in hopes of freeing the girl, but that didn’t work.
“She was bleeding real bad,” he told the news station. “The dog had the little girl’s leg and was shaking it.”
Rico eventually picked up the girl before Dean shot the dog in the rib cage, Channel 2 reported. Another neighbor called 911, and authorities wrote an incident report. However, the dog’s owner is unknown since it was not wearing a collar.
AJC.com has reached out to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this story said the girl was 5 years old, according to witnesses. Her mother told AJC.com she is actually 6 years old.
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