4-Year-Old Mich. Boy Dies After Being Mauled by Dog While Playing in Backyard

A 4-year-old boy was killed by “one or two” dogs while playing in his Detroit backyard, according to local police.

The child — who was identified by Detroit outlets WXYZ-TV and Fox 2 Detroit as Lovell Anderson — had been playing in his backyard around 3 p.m. in the 9300 block of Pierson on Detroit's northwest side when he was attacked, Cpl. Dan Donakowski said in a press conference.

“We’re not sure if it’s one or two dogs, but Animal Control has two dogs in custody,” Donakowski said, per NBC News, noting that the dogs were pit bulls or pit bull mixes. “It’s believed that the dogs belonged to a neighbor, but as far as how it happened, we’re unsure at this time.”

The deceased child’s aunt told Fox 2 Detroit that she believed that a neighbor’s dog had managed to grab Anderson through a gap in his fenced-off backyard and pull him to the other side before attacking him. 

Anderson's family said he was being watched by his grandmother at the time of the accident and that his parents were not at home, per WXYZ-TV. The boy’s family also told the Detroit news station that one of the dogs currently being held in custody was owned by the boy's grandmother but that animal was not a part of the incident.

Lovell’s aunt Monique Grant remembered the boy to WXYZ-TV as “just full of life,” while his other aunt Maple Blackshear recalled that he had been “just such a gentleman, so helpful. Just sweet.”

"My sister is truly distraught right now, at this moment," one of Anderson's aunts told the Fox 2 Detroit. "This is a very sad situation. As we know in Detroit, pit bulls [are] a big problem when you don't have them trained properly, or tied up, or put in a gate – secured properly."

The Detroit Police Department echoed her sentiments at the press conference, encouraging people to secure their dogs so that a tragedy like this doesn't happen again.

“The loss of a child who hasn’t really started their life is just something huge that nobody can really even fathom,” Police Cmdr. Arnold Williams said during the press conference, per NBC News.

“This reminds everybody, if you do have a dog to secure your dog to make sure your dog can’t get out,” Williams added. “That’s the most important thing.”