1-year-old attacked, killed by 3 dogs while in babysitter’s care, police say

DUNCANVILLE, Texas — A 1-year-old boy died Monday after being attacked by three dogs while the toddler was under the care of a babysitter at a suburban Dallas residence, authorities said.

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According to a news release from the Duncanville Police Department, officers responded to a residence in the 1500 block of Lime Leaf Lane at 10:40 a.m. CDT. Officers arriving at the residence in Duncanville found the toddler unconscious, The Dallas Morning News reported.

The child was suffering from severe injuries and officers began performing life-saving measures until paramedics arrived, according to KXAS-TV.

“Due to the severity of the injuries, Duncanville police officers provided an emergency escort while the child was being transported to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas,” the news release stated. “Unfortunately, the child was pronounced deceased shortly after arriving at the hospital.”

According to Dallas County medical examiner records, the boy was identified as Shiraz Asirvadam, the Morning News reported.

Duncanville interim police Chief Matthew Stogner said during a news conference Monday night that the three animals were German shepherd mixes and belonged to the homeowner. A male dog weighed 100 pounds and two females weighed approximately 80 pounds each, KFDW-TV reported.

“We took possession of the dogs. The dogs were confined in the house. They were not loose,” Stogner said. “The dogs were outside. Somehow they made their way back inside the house where the incident took place.”

“The resident attempted to pull the dogs from the infant unsuccessfully until the officers got there.”

Stogner said other children were at the residence but not harmed.

Stogner said the owner of the home was also injured when she tried to separate the dogs from the child, KXAS reported.

Resident David Trout told the television station that his brother had been married to the homeowner. He added that the woman had been watching children at her home for family members and neighbors for years.

“She’s a sweetheart. She means well, she’s taken care of kids down there forever without any kind of problems,” Trout told KXAS. “I just hate it for her.”

The investigation is ongoing and Stogner said there was a possibility that criminal charges could be filed, KTVT reported. “It’s still in the air,” he said.

Police are investigating whether the homeowner was running a day care out of the home, according to KXAS. The television station contacted Texas Health and Human Services to confirm whether the residence had a license. On Tuesday, the agency said the home “is not a licensed child care operation.”

Animal control officials took possession of the three dogs involved in the attack and quarantined them, KXAS reported.

“There is no question this is a tragedy,” Stogner told reporters. “It’s important for all animal owners to ensure their animals are confined, and if there are kids around, to ensure there is adult supervision around in case something like this were to happen.”

Duncanville is located 13 miles southwest of downtown Dallas.

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