Dog kills four-year-old boy in Liverpool : Monday 30th Nov 2009

A four-year-old boy has died after being attacked by a dog in Liverpool

A dog killed a four-year-old boy today (Mon 30th Nov). It also hurt a 63-year-old woman who tried to stop the attack, police said. Police were called to a house at Wavertree (Liverpool) in the early hours and found the dog in the front garden of the house in an "agitated state." The child suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene, while the woman was taken to hospital.
"This is a tragic incident and a full and thorough investigation will be carried out into the circumstances surrounding this young boy's death," Chief Superintendent Steve Ashley said in a statement.

The dog was destroyed.
A neighbour, who heard what she thinks was the dog being shot, said dangerous dogs are a problem in the area.
Gillian Watson, 46, said: "I heard a gunshot at about 2am this morning and I presume that was when they put the dog down.
"It's such a terrible thing to happen to a family."
"There are lots of dangerous types of dog around here. You always see young lads with pit bull dogs roaming around."
"I have a dog myself and when I take him for a walk sometimes it's quite terrifying because you think your dog is going to be attacked."

A number of residents have complained to the local housing association about the problem of dogs, according to another neighbour who did not want to be named.
"About 12 months ago one of them tore a pet cat to pieces in the middle of the street," he said.
"You see them all the time, they're huge animals and it is very threatening."

Police are now trying to identify the type of dog involved and have launched a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the boy's death.

The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act prohibits the possession of certain types of dogs that are bred for fighting.
Nearly 200 illegal dogs were seized or handed over to police in the Liverpool area in the months after a pit-bull terrier killed a 5-year-old girl near the city in 2007.