Bodycam shows Volusia deputies shows 2 dogs that killed boy while petting them, owner to be charged

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Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood provided new details about the dog attack that left an 8-year-old boy dead during a briefing on Tuesday.

According to Chitwood, the boy, identified as Michael, was riding bikes with his friends in the neighborhood when they stopped at the mailboxes near the front entrance of the subdivision to pet the loose dogs.

It was at that moment that Michael was "brutally mauled and killed," Chitwood said. The sheriff noted there was no indication the dogs were going to attack.

"And then, like a light switch went off, then they went right into attack mode," Chitwood said.

Authorities said the child's mother jumped on top of her son to shield him from the attack.

"I can tell you, in all my years of policing, to listen to that 911 call and hear Michael's mother in the background when she dove on top of him to stop the attack, screaming, ‘somebody help me! He's not breathing,' it strikes to the core of who we are as human beings," Chitwood explained.

Michael sustained 12 bite wounds and suffered a broken neck and leg, with Chitwood describing his injuries as "horrific."

"He never had a chance," Chitwood said.

The attack occurred just before 5 p.m. Monday evening in a neighborhood north of DeLand, near Arabesque Drive and Airport Road, according to deputies. Witnesses called 911 and performed CPR on the child, but he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Deputies and Volusia County Animal Services responded, capturing two dogs involved in the attack. Officials described one as a pit bull and the other as a mixed breed. Both animals have been confiscated and placed in quarantine.

Authorities said the owner of the dogs is a 31-year-old woman. She has an extensive criminal history, primarily related to drugs, according to the sheriff.

"We're now awaiting the owner's response about whether to sign the dogs over or whether we have to go to court and fight over how we're going to proceed with this. So it's the beginning stages of an investigation," the sheriff said.

Chitwood emphasized the woman would be held accountable.

"We are going to do everything humanly possible to hold the owner of these dogs responsible," Chitwood said. "And we're going to do everything possible to make sure that these animals are destroyed."

Law enforcement officers who went door-to-door after the incident heard "horrific stories" from neighbors about how the dogs are frequently running loose and have destroyed chickens.

Officials also discovered that the dogs may have been involved in a previous incident in another county.