Sheriff's deputies chased by pit bull dogs in Hines Park, shoot one as it neared officer

Dogs identified as pit bulls have been on the prowl at Hines Park in Wayne County, and one of them has now ended up dead, shot by a sheriff's deputy.

Edward Foxworth, a Wayne County sheriff's office spokesman, said two deputies were on routine patrol on Sunday, April 1, when two dogs began chasing the officers. As they attempted to get away, one of the deputies slipped in some mud and fell and the dog "came at him." That was when the deputy shot the dog, Foxworth said.

Foxworth said three pit bull dogs had been chasing bike riders, runners, and walkers in the park for the past three weeks. He said the office is "100 percent" confident these are pit bulls, and not coyotes or another breed.

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He said at least one of the two remaining pit bulls is still in the park, but deputies have been unable to trap it. The second dog either left the area or is in hiding.

In an email to the Free Press from Bill Dishroom, director of enforcement and animal control in Dearborn Heights, the city used a live trap and captured one of the reported three dogs in the area on April 9.

"We have been trying to capture the other dogs that are reported to be loose in the area by using the live trap. The dog that we captured in Hines Park on the 9th was taken to Michigan Humane-Westland to see if anyone claims the dog during the stray hold period of seven days. Dearborn Heights Animal Control did not pick up any deceased dog(s) from the park as that would be the responsibility of Wayne County Sheriff and/or Wayne County Department of Public Services," Dishroon said in the email.

It's not clear what happened to the dog's remains and whether it had a microchip that would possibly identify the owner. A spokeswoman for the Michigan Humane Society said it did not take the dog.

A spokesman for the sheriff's office did not immediately respond to questions about the status of the trapped dog, or about the animal that was killed. A humane society spokeswoman said it took in the trapped animal, female, but said it has no microchip and couldn't be identified. As of Thursday, it remained unclaimed at the shelter.

Contact Jennifer Dixon: jbdixon@freepress.com

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sheriff's office says 100% sure that dog shot in park was pit bull