13 pit bulls euthanized after deadly mauling in Compton
All 13 pit bulls seized from a home in Compton where a man was fatally mauled last week have been euthanized, officials tell KTLA 5 News.
The body of Dominic Cooper, 35, was found at his home on Thorson Avenue, just south of Rosecrans Avenue, at about 7 a.m. Friday morning, about 11 or 12 hours after the fatal attack is believed to have occurred.
Michael Gomez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau posited that prior to the attack, Cooper was feeding the dogs, which animal control officials say he was breeding and selling.
“He was feeding the dogs, at which point maybe there was an altercation between some of the dogs, and [they] ultimately attacked and mauled the victim,” Gomez said.
Authorities at the scene of a fatal pit bull mauling in Compton, California on Feb. 16, 2024. (KTLA) Sky5 view of the scene in Compton where a man was mauled to death by pit bulls on Feb. 16, 2024. (KTLA) A firefighter works to help a woman climb out of the backyard of a home where a man was fatally mauled by dogs. Feb. 16, 2024. (KTLA) A firefighter works to help a woman climb out of the backyard of a home where a man was fatally mauled by dogs. Feb. 16, 2024. (KTLA) Sky5 view of the scene in Compton where a man was mauled to death by pit bulls on Feb. 16, 2024. (KTLA) Sky5 view of the scene in Compton where a man was mauled to death by pit bulls on Feb. 16, 2024. (KTLA) Sky5 view of the scene in Compton where a man was mauled to death by pit bulls on Feb. 16, 2024. (KTLA)
On Tuesday, Don Belton of Los Angeles County Animal Care confirmed that all of the dogs were put down. LAAC previously told KTLA that five adult pit bulls and eight puppies were found at the scene.
“All dogs were euthanized due to evidence linking them to the attack,” he wrote in an email to KTLA. “Given the potential threat they posed to the community, this action was deemed necessary.”
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