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A group of mixed pit bulls fatally mauls an upstate New York man
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A group of mixed pit bulls fatally mauls an upstate New York man

An upstate New York man was beaten to death by a pack of pit bulls on Wednesday, in an attack that only stopped when an officer shot one of the mongrels and chased the rest away, authorities said.

The 10 vicious dogs attacked 59-year-old Schenectady resident James Provost around 6 p.m. in a backyard next to a suspected drug house where the animals were being held, Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said.

“This was a horrific attack,” Hawkins said during a locally streamed news conference.

Blurry video of the attack obtained by CBS 6 shows the barking dogs pouncing on the man who tried to fend them off. The animals dragged him around while he appeared unconscious, the newspaper said.

Part of the brutal attack was caught on camera. CBS6 Albany

After the dogs were well into their attack on Provost, a police officer arrived on the scene and witnessed eight or nine of them surrounding the victim, police said.

The officer opened fire, shooting one of the dogs and startling the other out-of-control animals into moving away from the victim.

The owner, who lives in Cohoes, and the dogs’ caretaker helped police gather the dogs back into the home, Hawkins said.

The fatal mauling occurred in the backyard of a home next to where the dogs lived with their caretaker in Albany, Hawkins said. The police do not know how the victim ended up in that garden, as he did not live there.

“Somehow those dogs got away,” Hawkins said.

The house where the dogs were located was previously raided by authorities in May over suspected drug activity, the top cop said.

Five to seven dogs were also seized at the time and held in custody before later being released. It is unknown if these dogs were involved in the fatal attack.

The attack took place in New York State. NEWS10
The man and the dogs were in a backyard. NEWS10

A total of 24 mixed-breed pit bulls, including 15 puppies, were found in the home Wednesday and given to a local humane society, Hawkins said.

No charges have been filed as of Thursday, but the investigation is in its early stages.

“We’re still trying to determine why the victim was at the back of the residence, we’re still trying to determine why the owner of the dogs kept so many dogs in that location,” Hawkins said.

The fate of the dogs will be determined by justice at a later date.

“We’re going to find out who, if anyone, is criminally responsible for this,” he said, promising justice for the slain man.