The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Cops: Baby killed by family dog
NORWICH — Police said the death a 1-monthold child who was attacked by the family dog appears to have been an accident.
Norwich police said they discovered the infant boy was attacked by the dog around 9 p.m. Monday. The dog was a mixedbreed male pit bull, police said.
“At this time in the investigation, we are unable to determine how long the family had the dog and how old the dog is,” Norwich police Lt. John Perry said.
Perry identified the child as Carter Settles, who was being held when “the dog jumped up on the adult family member and began biting Carter.”
The infant sustained multiple traumatic injuries, Perry said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hours after the death, police said the boy’s father, Timothy Settles, was at the scene of a New London fire and is wanted as a person of interest in the early morning arson.
Police said Timothy Settles was not home when his son died. Police said the child’s mother and paternal grandmother were at the apartment when the incident occurred. Police said the child was the only one injured.
The dog was taken into custody without incident and is being quarantined for 14 days at the Norwich animal control pound. Norwich police said they will follow animal control guidelines from state Department of Agriculture in quarantining and handling the dog.
Police said the incident does not appear to be criminal, but the investigation is ongoing.
About seven hours after the incident, New London police say Timothy Settles was at a Rosemary Street home before a fire was set around 4 a.m. Tuesday. Police have not said what they believe the motive was for the fire.
Fire officials believe the blaze was set on the porch. Six people live in the two-family home, but no one was seriously hurt, fire officials said.
Police said they did not immediately know Settles’ connection with the home.
New London Police Chief Peter Reichard said he has been in contact with Norwich authorities. From what he was told, Reichard said the dog attack appeared to be a “terrible accident.”
Neighbors on McKinley Avenue in Norwich said they did not hear much of what happened inside the apartment late Monday, but saw at least 10 police cars, an ambulance, fire crews and animal control after the attack.
Art and Dorothy Johnson, who have lived nearby for years, said they met the mother and the dog in the past, describing the woman as an “acquaintance” who was nice, but typically kept to herself.
“It’s horrible,” Dorothy Johnson said of the dog attack.
Art Johnson recalled petting the dog while he was sitting on the porch with his son in the past.
“Friendly dog. You’d never know by the look of it,” he said.
The apartment building sits on McKinley Avenue, a busy side street. The Johnsons said despite speeding cars, the neighborhood is quiet, and like the mother of the infant, people keep to themselves.
Police have not yet said what caused the dog to bite the child.
While the breed “pit bull” is often used colloquially, it isn’t recognized by the American Kennel Club. When referring to pit bulls, it typically means a combination of breeds or possibly one of the following: American bulldog, American Staffordshire terrier, American pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier and English bull terrier.
Lee Greenwood, legislative attorney for Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization, said there are a lot of myths about pit bulls. He said among those myths are that pit bull terriers can be more aggressive than other dogs. The American Temperament Test Society, which provides national dog temperament testing, found that pit bull terrier-type dogs passed the test at a higher rate than many other dog breeds.
“When people believe myths about any dog breed, it leads to all sorts of problems,” Greenwood said in a statement. “They don’t get adopted from shelters, and lawmakers pass bad laws that discriminate against dogs who even look like them.”
Dogs will bite for a variety of reasons, although none of them are related to the breed, according to the American Veterinarian Medical Association.
The AVMA said most often dogs bite as a reaction to something, like a stressful situation where it feels it must defend itself or its territory. Dogs can bite as a reaction to being scared or feeling threatened, especially over their puppies, food or a toy. Illness or injury could also prompt a dog to bite.
There are roughly 4.5 million dog bites reported in the United States every year, with about 800,000 of those requiring medical attention, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There were 48 reported cases of fatal dog attacks in the United States in 2019, the latest year data was available, according to the CDC. Among those deaths, 10 were reported in individuals ages 65 to 74. There were three deaths reported among kids ages 1 to 3, and one death of a child younger than 1.
The CDC has not tracked types of dog breeds involved in fatal attacks since the late 1990s.