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Adams, State Police Investigating Death During Dog Attack
Complete write-thru with updated information from original post at 4:14 p.m.
ADAMS, Mass. — An Adams man is dead after a bizarre incident in which he was mortally wounded when a good Samaritan tried to save him from a dog attack.
The name of the victim is being witheld pending identification by the Chief Medical Examiner's Office and notification to the next of kin.
According to a statement from the Berkshire district attorney's office, the responding police shot two aggressive dogs outside an apartment on Bellevue Avenue and found a man with a fatal crossbow injury inside the apartment and an unharmed child in a nearby room.
Investigators currently believe a neighbor heard the commotion, called police, and then made entry into the apartment. The neighbor got a crossbow and shot at the dogs. The arrow struck one of the dogs, went through a door, and then struck the individual being mauled as he was attempting to barricade himself from the attack.
The early indications are that the death is accidental and the neighbor is cooperating with authorities.
The incident began after the police received multiple 911 calls around 12:15 p.m. reporting that the victim was being mauled at 19 Bellevue Ave. Adams Police say responding officers and a K9 Unit found two mature male pitbulls — both with a history of being aggressive — engaging in a volatile confrontation. The dogs then turned to attack the officers.
Officers used their service weapons to neutralize the animals. The ballistics portion of this incident remains under investigation.
State and local authorities were stationed on Bellevue Avenue near the Glenn Street intersection for most of the afternoon. The street was closed off with crime scene tape and the Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force's vehicle was parked blocking the entrance onto Bellevue. Something small was lying in the roadway, presumably one of the dogs, and covered by a blanket.
Police vehicles were parked near a multi-unit building a short way up the narrow road from Glenn Street. The area is densely populated and not far from the downtown. A neighbor at the scene told iBerkshire that he had heard a gunshot around the time of the incident.
The State Police Detective Unit assigned to the district attorney's office as well as the state police Crime Scene Service, Crime Lab and Firearm Identification Section, along with Adams Animal Control, Adams Police, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the DA's office responded to the scene and will perform a full investigation.
Vermont State Police Welcome Newest K9 Member
Det. Trooper Chris Hunt and Loki.
Ten-week-old Loki, a Plott hound, will specialize in tracking missing people and fugitives from the law. She is the state police's first hound dog in more than 30 years.
She arrived in her new home in the Green Mountains last week accompanied by her handler, Detective Trooper Chris Hunt, who traveled to Houston, Texas, to pick up Loki from the breeder.
State police say Loki has long, floppy ears and likes frolic with co-worker but also has a "powerful nose for public safety."
Loki joins a K-9 Unit composed of 16 patrol dogs, four bomb-detection dogs and one arson dog. The patrol dogs are Belgian Malinois, German shepherds and Dutch shepherds, and the others are Labrador retrievers.
Her breed, Plott hound, is descended from German Hanoverian hounds brought to the United States by Johannes Plott in 1750. They originally were used for tracking big game and are considered energetic, athletic and intelligent. They are the official state dog for North Carolina, where they were first bred.
Adding a hound dog to the team will help keep the public safe, said Capt. Mike Manley, special operations commander.
"We are always looking to enhance our capabilities and the service that we provide Vermonters," Manley said. "The biggest advantage to having a Plott hound is that they can track old scents. These hounds can track scents that can be nearly a day old. For us this is all about tracking, having the best resource available to track lost and missing persons. You can't get any better than a hound for tracking."
Eventually Loki might also learn the specialized skill of locating deceased individuals, but at first, tracking will be her "bread and butter" and help round out the capabilities of the K-9 unit, he said
"Patrol dogs can do all types — apprehension, tracking, drug work — and our other specialized canines identify explosives and accelerants. Hounds really specialize in tracking. Patrol dogs at best can track scents that are a few hours old," said Manley. "Having Loki as part of the K-9 Unit is sure to increase public safety by giving VSP the best capability to locate missing persons and fugitives."
For Loki, named after the god in Norse mythology, her next few weeks will be spent acclimating to her new surroundings. She will begin 15 weeks of training in early March with the New Hampshire State Police, an agency that currently has two Plott hounds on its K-9 detail. Her training will include obedience, tracking based on scents on the ground, evidence recovery, and searching wide areas using scents in the air.
Once training is complete, Loki will be based at the St. Albans Barracks, where Hunt is assigned. They will be available to respond statewide. If all goes well, Loki might have some company in the future as the state police considers adding more hounds to the K-9 Unit.
Visitors will be able greet and pet Loki — subject to her tolerance for excitement — in the Cedar Creek Room at the State House on Friday, Feb. 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and again on Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the front sally port at the Vermont State Police Barracks, 2777 St. George Road, Williston.
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