Dog attack leaves a woman dead, a man critically injured in Arizona

Isabelle Butera, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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Generic and blurry police lights from a cruiser vehicle and car headlights behind yellow crime scene do not cross caution tape at night.

Arizona police are investigating after a dog attack Friday that left a woman dead and a man critically injured.

Sierra Vista police responded to a 911 call to find a dog attacking the male victim, Sam Sanches, 53, in a backyard. Officers killed the dog and provided first aid to Sanches, according to a police news release. The officers then found the second victim, Helene Jackson, 84, in critical condition in the alley behind the residence. As police were responding to Jackson, a second dog returned to the yard and was killed by officers.

According to Corporal Scott Borgstadt at the Sierra Vista Police Department, Jackson was first attacked by the dogs and Sanches came to her aid when he was then attacked.

Sanches was taken to Banner Medical Center and remains in critical condition.

Jackson was transported to the Canyon Vista Medical Center, where she died from her injuries that night. Her dog was also found dead in the alley where she was found, police said.

The three dead dogs were taken in by the Sierra Vista Police Department's Animal Control Office for further investigation, according to the news release.

The investigation was ongoing, and police asked anyone with information about the attacks to contact Detective Thomas P. Ransford at 520-452-7500.

Recent dog attacks

Last week, a Texas man was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in Texas, after the state's governor vetoed a bill that would have enacted harsher penalties for those who own vicious canines. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott argued that the state's existing laws were sufficient.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, more than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the United States, although very few are fatal.

A report from earlier this month from the United States Postal Service found that 5,300 postal service employees were attacked by dogs while delivering mail last year, according to the report.

Dog attacks: Thousands of mail carriers were attacked by dogs in 2022. Which states had the most?

Contributing: Aidan Wohl, Arizona Republic and Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arizona dog attack leaves 1 dead, 1 in critical condition