Neighbor Trying To Stop Pit Bull Attack Kills Man With Crossbow

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ADAMS, Mass. (AP) — A man trying to escape from two attacking pit bull dogs was shot and killed by a crossbow bolt fired by a neighbor shooting at the dogs in an attempt to stop the attack, authorities in Massachusetts said.

The death Wednesday afternoon in Adams appears to be accidental, according to a statement from the Berkshire district attorney's office.

A neighbor heard a commotion just after noon, made his way into an apartment where the attack was occurring, and went back to his own apartment to grab a crossbow, authorities said.

The arrow is thought to have struck one of the dogs, traveled through a door and hit the man in the next room, where he was trying to barricade himself, the district attorney's office said. A child in the apartment was unharmed.

No names were released.

The neighbor who fired the arrow is a "good Samaritan" who is cooperating in the ongoing investigation, the district attorney's office said.

The dogs had a history of being aggressive, said Andrew McKeever, a spokesman for Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington.

The dogs were shot and killed by responding police officers.