MANCHESTER — Three people, including a child, were taken to a Lewiston hospital Wednesday after being bitten by a pit bull.

The attack would have been worse, according to police, if the animal had not been shot by the owner’s young son.

An 11-year-old boy, suffered bites to the armpit area, Kennebec County Sheriff Randall Liberty said, and was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

The boy’s grandmother, Leena Walker, 69, was in stable condition at CMMC where she was treated for leg injuries, including a calf that “was partially torn off,” Liberty said.

A third person, Anthony Manganella, 28, who also was living at the home, also was in stable condition at CMMC where he was treated for arm injuries, including a broken wrist.

“Had the wounds been any closer to any vital areas, a death may have resulted,” Liberty said.

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The pit bull initially attacked and killed a small Chihuahua that also lived in the house.

The attack occurred outside a home at 826 Prescott Road around 10 a.m.

The pit bull, which is owned by Jeremiah Bailie, attacked the Chihuahua, prompting Manganella to intervene to try and save the small dog, said Kennebec County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesse Duda.

The pit bull turned on Manganella, which prompted Bailie’s 11-year-old son to intervene. Walker wrestled the dog away from the boy and was being attacked as it was shot by Bailie’s 12-year-old son, Duda said.

The pit bull fled into the home and later died, Liberty said.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services will analyze the dog to try to determine what caused the attack, Liberty said.

Duda said there were no charges as of Wednesday afternoon, but the incident remained under investigation.

“This attack was one of the worst that we have covered in many years,” Liberty said. “The pit bull could have easily killed the grandmother had it not been for the quick thinking of the young male who dispatched the animal.”


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