Man, 68, Dies After Being Attacked and Dragged Across the Street by a Pack of Stray Dogs

A 68-year-old man died after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs in Illinois. ‘He was screaming for his life,’ a nearby resident recalled of the incident.

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A 68-year-old man died after being attacked by a pack of wild dogs in Illinois

The man has since been identified as James L. Gibson

A neighbor recalled hearing Gibson “screaming for his life” before realizing he was “getting mauled by some dogs”

A 68-year-old man died after being attacked by a pack of dogs in Illinois.

On Thursday, Aug. 27, the Washington Park Police Department said that a pack of stray dogs attacked two people in the 2100 block of N. 49th Street around 10:45 p.m. local time, killing one of them, according to local outlets KMOV, First Alert 4 and Fox 2 Now.

The deceased victim was allegedly taking a smoke break while working on a rental property when at least five stray dogs lunged at him and dragged him across the street into a ditch, according to KMOV.

The police have since identified the man as James L. Gibson, per Fox 2 Now.

“I heard the man screaming, and then I could hear dogs,” nearby resident Mike Tomlin told KMOV. “I mean, he was screaming for his life.”

“I realized he was getting mauled by some dogs,” he continued. “I’m being real careful. I’m looking out.”

While Washington Park police told KMOV that they received another call regarding a pack of stray dogs just two hours before the fatal attack, St. Clair County Animal Services said they did not learn of the incident until the following afternoon.

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Another nearby resident, Aretha Harper, told Fox 2 Now that, while she is usually able to shoo the dogs away when they approach her property, one of the animals followed her up her front steps on the day of the incident.

“I’m at the door with my bags, and I’m turned back like, ‘Get off this porch! Get!’ and he was not budging,” she recalled, adding that her husband later witnessed the terrifying attack. “He’s telling me, hollering and screaming, ‘Call 9-1-1! A man is up there at the intersection getting mauled.’ ”

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Washington Park police told First Alert 4 that, upon arriving at the scene, officers shot three of the dogs after they became aggressive. The rest of the dogs then ran into a nearby wooded area and were not seen again.

Following Gibson’s death, neighbor Fred Harris told Fox 2 Now that many people in the area have been “afraid to go anywhere.”

“Make sure I keep my gate closed because you don’t know when they’re coming out,” he said, noting that he has been hesitant to let his 4-year-old granddaughter play outside. “It could have been resolved. I’m so sad. I’m saddened by this. I’m sickened by this. It could’ve been me.”

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