HAMILTON — A man has died after being attacked by a dog in Hamilton, despite attempts by residents to fend off the animal.
The man, who has not been identified, was out walking the canine Wednesday night with another man in a residential neighbourhood just after 11 p.m. when the incident took place, police said.
The dog is believed to have attacked the man, who was found on the ground by officers responding to a flurry of 911 calls made by people who lived in the area.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy was to be conducted Thursday to determine his official cause of death.
Contrary to initial reports that described the dog as a pit bull — a breed banned in Ontario — the dog has been identified as a sharpei-fila mix, weighing about 20 kilograms, and is currently being held by Hamilton's Animal Services department.
"If it is determined that the dog did cause the fatality then it would be euthanized," said city spokeswoman Ann Lamanes. "The fila...they are aggressive animals."
The attack created a stir among those living in the area, with many waking up to police cars and a marked crime scene on their street.
Mark Wall, who lives one street over from where the incident took place, heard piercing screams as he sat on his front porch Wednesday night.
"I heard those screams and I thought some guy was getting punched out," said Wall, who described the area as a rough neighbourhood. "He was screaming for his life."
Not wanting to get involved in what he thought was a bad fight, Wall went inside his house and only found out through a neighbour Thursday morning that what he heard had been the dog attack.
"It's horrible," he said. "I know I heard this guy getting killed and that's in my head. And that's haunting me."
Police said one person who witnessed the incident intervened and used a baseball bat to try fending off the dog, but the animal was still acting aggressively when officers arrived.
"The man was collapsed when police officers arrived and the dog was still attempting to engage," said Const. Steve Welton.
Officers tried to step in between the dog and the man, using pepper spray to try deterring the canine. They were eventually able to capture the dog with the help of an animal control unit.
"It's unfortunate that it's happened like this in our community," said Welton. "It's a very tragic event. We'll continue to investigate to find out exactly what happened."
