Year-old boy killed by dog in western North Carolina

Police say a 6-year-old in North Carolina died after being attacked by a pit bull in his neighbor’s yard.

The Henderson County sheriff’s office was called to a residence in Hendersonville, south of Asheville, on Tuesday afternoon.

Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the boy died at the scene from wounds to the head and neck, Stout said.

The child’s mother, Amanda Strother, called emergency services at 4:17 p.m. and told the dispatcher that she took her eyes off her son because she had to go the bathroom and lost sight of her son for a few minutes.

Stout said the dog did not appear to be aggressive and deputies had not received prior calls regarding the dog. According to multiple reports, the child, identified as Joshua Phillip Strother, had scaled a fence and entered a neighbor’s yard when he encountered a dog who attacked.

The mother of the child says it was a common way for the child to visit the neighbors.

The neighbours adopted the dog from a humane animal shelter about three weeks ago, Stout said.

Major Frank Stout said deputies shot and killed the dog to reach the child, but it was too late to save his life. The Sheriff’s Office is investigating the unnamed shelter and the dog’s history to discover whether the animal has ever been deemed unsafe.