Updated: Murrieta man dies from injuries sustained from dog attack

The more that comes out about this story, the odder it becomes.

The city coroner has still declared Mitchell's cause of death to be from dog bites -- however, it still sounds a bit odd as Mitchell apparently had several other medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease.

Also, when reporters knocked on the door of the home where the man lived, two women who answered the door apparently reported that they were unaware that dog bites had caused Mitchell's death.

Also of note, according to one source, some animal experts had said that it appeared that the dog had likely been handled roughly in the past....which would indicate that the "disciplining" may likely have been physical (which is also most likely as the man apparently suffered severe bites to his neck, which for a grown man means he was likely bending over when the attack occurred).

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A 67 year old Murrieta (CA) man, Edward Mitchell, died Sunday afternoon at his home -- apparently from injuries sutained in a dog attack on October 14th.

According to reports, Mitchell was in his nephew's back yard with the nephew's 'pit bull' and two Chihuahuas.  Apparently Mitchell was "disciplining" the dog and the dog lashed back at Mitchell, biting him in the arm, throat and groin.

Two months later, the man died in his home apparently from the injuries.

There isn't a lot of information available on the attack. Obviously, "disciplining" the dog could mean a lot of different things from just yelling at the dog to physically injuring the dog. It also is a bit unclear to me why the man was still apparently suffering badly from his injuries and was in his home.

Here's the original story following the initial attack (including a picture of the dog).

I'll post more as (if) more info becomes available.

Comments

[Toocutedobs]

I am sorry to hear that this person was injured and later died. "Disciplining" (in any degree)a dog that is not yours is not a wise move. I am afraid this is another sad example that we need more education. Thanks for your work on this blog it is very informative.

[Donna Watkins]

Two months later?

[Brent]

Yes. At home.

The more info that comes out about this story the stranger it seems.

[Social Mange]

I'm sorry the man and the dog died..but the "cause of death" sounds really fishy. Why was he in a "convalescent home" and not a hospital?

[Jenn]

This reminds me of that case of the Animal Control Officer that died after the run in with a pit bull. Do you remember that one? She had gone to a home to check on the dog and it had jumped on her. She died two weeks later, unrelated to the dog incident (in which she was not bitten) but the headline read something to the effect of "Officer Dies After Pit Bull Confrontation"? I wish I could remember it now. This reminds me of that incident except that man actually got bit in this case. Was the convalescent home not cleaning out his wounds properly? Odd.

[Missing Information]

The dog's name is Shadoh.

A good dog and very Loyal. A gentle giant, about 105 bls at 1 1/2 yrs old. When the owner would go to school during the day, the uncle would kick and punch the dog as a form of discipline.

[J.M.]

No one deserves to die but the last comment certainly adds a missing piece to the puzzle.
Dogs don`t just attack for no reason and at that size that`s certainly not a pit bull.
It would appear that the dog had had enough of the abuse if that comment is factual.
I don`t see why anyone would make that up.

[Brent]

J.M. -- I would agree with you. And I don't konw who the previous poster is, but the IP address does check out as someone who would actually have knowledge of the specific situation.

[PAMM - People Against Murderous Men]

Actually, a lot of people deserve to die...people that abuse those without the ability to defend themselves make my list.

[kmk]

A 105 pound pit bull? Seriously?

This whole story is weird.

[stratobill]

Answer me this. If you were in law enforcement, would you hire a former combat soldier to train your employees about weapons and self defense? Would it matter to you that he had killed dozens of human beings during his time in the military, including some in hand-to-hand combat?

Just because Mills was involved in dog-fighting as part of his assignment to bring down dog-fighting organizations should not dis-qualify him from training others to join the effort to wipe out dog-fighting.

It's not a perfect world and sometimes compromises are necessary.