Police officer shoots, kills 'extremely aggressive' pit bulls
Reporter: Stephani Ruiz
Reporter: Jessica Chapin
TUCSON (KGUN9- TV) - Another pit bull attack in Tucson left one man injured and two dogs dead. Police shot and killed two pit bulls in an East side neighborhood after they attacked an elderly man and his golden retriever early Wednesday morning.
Jim Skevington was walking his dog when two of his neighbors' pit bulls attacked. Neighbors tried to stop it and called police but the dogs didn't back down.
"There were a number of people who actually pulled up, got out of their cars. I had a report of one woman who was swinging a chair trying to fend off the dogs and rescue the male," said Sgt. Matt Ronstadt, "so it was by all descriptions a pretty aggressive attack."
Patrick Ronquillo was driving to the grocery store when he witnessed what happened.
"I saw an officer in the middle of the road and the dogs and the next thing I know I saw him pull out his weapon and he fired upon the animals," he said, "One was charging towards him."
Ronquillo says they see stray and un-leashed dogs in their neighborhood frequently.
"Quite often it's pits usually, running around loose," he said.
But this isn't the first case for these particular pit bulls. 9 on Your Side dug a little deeper to find court records for that address that show back in March, 25-year-old Kevin Nelson was charged with two counts of animal abuse, one count of having a dog without a license and one count of having a dog without vaccinations.
According to the police report, another dog in Nelson's possession was attacked by the dogs and left untreated. The dog belonged to Nelson's ex-girlfriend.
Just last week, police responded again to the home after a pit bull jumped the fence, chasing after a couple walking their dog. The owner was cited for not having their dog leashed.
Police are still investigating this case, trying to get in contact with Nelson or the dogs' true owner.
Meanwhile, neighbors like Aaron Cooke say they won't let this case stop them from walking dogs on their block, but he's adding a step to his routine just in case.
"I know there are a lot of pit bulls in Tucson a lot of shelter dogs, pit bulls have a history and people don't always take care of their dogs," said Cooke, "I don't always carry my cell phone and now I will."
Police say the owner of the pit bulls could face misdemeanor charges, or even felony charges depending on the details of the investigation. The case is still on-going.
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