A Canandaigua police officer shot and killed a pit bull after it attacked its owner and then charged at the officer on Saltonstall Street late Friday afternoon.
The dog had been actively mauling a woman on a lawn when officers arrived at 5:11 p.m., according to a press release from the Canandaigua Police Department. As one officer ran to assist the victim, the dog released the woman’s arm and lunged at the officer, who fired three shots from his service weapon, killing the dog at the scene.
The woman, a 29-year-old Canandaigua resident and the dog’s owner, suffered severe injuries and disfigurement to her right arm and hand. She also sustained bite wounds to her right leg, left shoulder, and face. Emergency responders transported her to Strong Memorial Hospital.
Police said the attack happened while the woman was walking the dog on a leash. Before officers arrived, the dog also bit a bystander who tried to help the victim. That person sustained multiple minor injuries but declined medical treatment at the scene.
The Ontario County Humane Society was contacted and took custody of the deceased dog.
Police say the investigation into the dog’s history and origins is ongoing.
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