Suburban Detroit police say a dog fatally mauled a 4-year-old boy despite his mother's efforts to defend him during the attack.
The boy was pronounced dead Tuesday night at a hospital after he suffered serious wounds to his neck and body in the attack in Hazel Park, north of Detroit.
The boy's 14-year-old sister called 911 and reported that her mother was trying to stop a male pit bill from attacking her brother at their home.
Police say the boy's mother cut the animal with a knife to defend her son. She was hospitalized for dog bite injuries.
Officers used stun guns to free the boy from the dog, which was later euthanized.
Authorities say the family had been fostering the 60-pound dog.
The attack comes just two months after the fatal mauling of 9-year-old Emma Hernandez near her Detroit home.
