HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) – An 8-year-old Hawaii boy with intellectual disabilities died days after he was attacked by a neighbor’s dog.
Police responded just after 11 a.m. last Tuesday to a home in Wahiawa for reports an 8-year-old had been mauled, according to Hawaii News Now.
Law enforcement sources told HNN Investigates the attack was captured on a home surveillance system. Those sources went on to say the video has been crucial in piecing together exactly what happened.
The 8-year-old boy, who had intellectual disabilitities, appeared to be alone, unattended in a neighbor’s yard when he was mauled by a large dog that was on a chain.
When help arrived, the boy didn’t have a pulse. First responders managed to revive him and rushed him to the hospital with severe injuries to his head and neck. He died days later.
“I’m horrified, horrified that this happened,” said Meriah Nichols, who teaches disability studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Many kids with intellectual disabilities, in particular Down syndrome and autism, will elope, and that’s where they just have an impulse to go somewhere and they go.”
HNN Investigates confirmed the boy lived nearby.
Police have opened an unattended death investigation. They have not released any information regarding the whereabouts of the victim’s parents at the time of the attack.
Meanwhile, the Hawaiian Humane Society says the dog’s owner surrendered the animal. A spokesperson said in a statement the dog was humanely euthanized because it “exhibited severe aggressive behaviors that could pose a safety threat to staff, volunteers and the community.”
“It was the most compassionate outcome for the animal and the safety of the public,” read the statement in part.
Data shows dog attacks on Oahu are on the rise. Between September 2023 and September 2024, Honolulu Emergency Medical Services responded to 300 calls for possible dog bites, up nearly 20% from the previous year.
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