A 7-year old boy was mauled to death and his older brother was injured after they were attacked by a pit bull on Sunday. Authorities say that the fatal incident happened at around 11:20 a.m., near the 2400 block of Odum Road.
According to family members, Talen Nathan West and his 8-year old brother Jaylen Ray West, were just having fun in the woods near a home located at 2484 Odum Road in Lumberton, as reported on WRAL. It was almost noon when they came across the neighbor's pit bull.
The dog suddenly attacked the children. Emergency crews were immediately called, however, when they arrived, Talen was already unresponsive and suffered from puncture wounds on his body. Jaylen, on the other hand, was bitten on the lower part of his body.
The brothers were brought to the Southeastern Medical Center, but Talen did not survive. Jaylen was treated for his leg injuries and released, ABC 11 reports.
Distressed family members told the CBS-affiliated television station that the dog had no known history of any violent tendencies when he attacked them. The boys' cousin, Devin West, said, "Everybody is just sad and under a lot of stress right now."
He said Jaylen tried hard to protect his younger brother and fight the dog off. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful. Devin recalled the attack and said that Talen had a hatchet or machete with him. He eventually got the pit bull off of him, unfortunately, it was too late as the dog was able to grab him by his neck.
The county sheriff's deputies are currently investigating the incident and are attempting to determine what might have aggravated the dog, as well as deciding on whether or not charges will be filed.
Sheriff Kenneth Sealey, speaking about the incident, said, "It's a tough investigation, especially when you lose a child." The pit bull also died during the incident may be due to a heart attack or exhaustion.
