DETROIT (AP) — Family members have identified the 4-year-old Detroit boy who was fatally mauled by pit bulls and say it wasn’t the first attack.
Xavier Strickland was pulled away from his mother while they walked to a school Wednesday. Police later killed three pit bulls and seized another.
An uncle, Ramone Cage, tells the Detroit Free Press that a pit bull bit the coat and book bag of Xavier’s sister last month. She was able to get away. Sgt. Cassandra Lewis confirmed that Xavier’s mother mentioned the other attack, although police had no other details.
Police still are investigating the owner of the unlicensed dogs that killed the boy. Director Dr. Abdul El-Sayed of the Detroit Health Department tells The Detroit News that his agency had no prior contact with the owner.
