MANCHESTER -- Two teen girls were involved in a chaotic and frightening situation in Manchester Wednesday, leaving one of them seriously injured.
According to Manchester police, they got a call about a dog attack around 12:30 p.m. The teen girl who called said a pit bull was actively attacking another person.
As police arrived, they learned that the smoke alarm in the house was going off, and the officer saw heavy smoke inside. The victims, two 14-year-old girls, later said they came home from school to find the smoke alarm going off, and that the dog was agitated and running around.
When the officer arrived at the scene he also heard a female voice screaming for help.
The officer entered the house and found one of the girls sitting on the kitchen counter and screaming as the dog attacked her friend in the next room. The officer also saw a toaster was on fire, with the flames reaching the kitchen cabinets.
The officer told the first girl to run outside, and then he followed the screaming voice and barking dog. In the next room he found a large pit bull, about 100 pounds he estimates, jumping up against a television stand while the other girl hid behind it.
The officer saw the second girl was bleeding on her arms and stomach and that there was blood on the floor.
The officer tried to call the dog off and distract it, but it kept going back to the girl. On another attempt, the officer caught the dog's attention, and it "ran towards him in an aggressive manner," police said. The officer said he was afraid for his life and the girl's, and he shot the dog, killing it.
"The officer who had to shoot the dog is a dog lover himself, he's a dog owner and dog lover. He didn't want to have to do that. I was talking to him today he still felt bad about having to do it, but he realized he had no other options," Manchester Police Captain Chris Davis told FOX 61.
The hiding victim was found to have puncture wounds all over her body and she was taken to the hospital for treatment, police said.
According to the girls, when they got home and saw the agitated dog it attacked, biting one of the girls and then attacking the other when she tried to pull it off the first. The dog then dragged the second victim across the floor and bit her several times, all before they were able to call 911.
The fire department responded to help the officers put out the kitchen fire as well.
Police called the attack "serious."
