65-year-old North Shore, CA dog attack victim ID'd
Rosalie Murphy, The Desert Sun 9:15 a.m. PDT September 9, 2015
A dog attack kills a man and injures a woman in North Shore Tuesday. Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun
(Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun)
The victim of Tuesday's fatal dog attack in North Shore was identified as a 65-year-old resident.
Emilio Rios was pronounced dead at 6:32 a.m. in front of a home at 70-670 Sea Gull Drive, according to the Riverside County Coroner's office.
Riverside County sheriff's deputies found him at about 6:15 a.m. Shortly after, they heard a cry from a woman who was being attacked by dogs nearby.
The officers sounded lights and sirens, which scared the dogs away, and paramedics transported the victim to a local hospital, where she is being treated for major injuries.
Sheriff's deputies and officers from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services captured the dogs, which they believe were pit bulls. One was extremely aggressive, according to the sheriff's department, and had to be tranquilized.
The dogs are quarantined at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms.
The body of a man mauled to death by dogs in is investigated by Riverside County Sheriff's, Tuesday, September 8, 2015 in the community of North Shore. Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun
Animal control officers will try to find the dogs' owners, said John Welsh, a spokesman for the animal services department. He said they will likely recommend that the owners euthanize the dogs.
"This is as serious as it gets, when you've got somebody who's suffered a fatal attack," Welsh said.
In nine years working with animal services, Welsh said he could only recall three fatal dog attacks, including the 2009 killing of Rancho Mirage resident Hill Williams by his pets.
Two dogs were taken into custody after they killed a man and injured a woman in North Shore Tuesday. They were taken to the Riverside County animal campus in Thousand Palms. (Photo: Riverside County Department of Animal Services)
"A human being has lost their life to a dog," Welsh said. "If this is not a wake up call for some folks, what is? ... (Owners) have to be extra vigilant, because something like this can occur. It's a tragedy, and it's something that's totally preventable."
Anyone with any information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Investigator Tijerina at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Thermal Station at 760-863-8990.