Police Shoot, Kill 2 Pit Bulls After Attack On 4-Year-Old In New Brunswick

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Two pit bull dogs were shot and killed by police after they mauled and seriously injured a young girl at a central New Jersey home.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said the attack occurred Thursday night in New Brunswick, but did not say what sparked the incident.

As WCBS 880's Jim Smith reported, it was a terrifying call that no mother wants to get.

"When I heard what happened all I could think was, 'Oh my gosh, my baby,'" said Quadirah Banks.

Banks raced to the home on Luftbarry Avenue where her daughter, 4-year-old Harmony Halyer, was mauled by two pit bulls while staying with a family friend.

Her uncle Richard Bailey said she suffered serious wounds.

"She had some bite marks on her little cheeks, her hands, arms, across her head," he said.

The little girl's father said she was put in a medically induced coma, but is expected to pull through.

Banks credits another family member with saving the girl's life.

"My cousin heard the screaming...he grabbed the phone, he called the police, he hit the dogs with all types of chairs," she said.

Carey said three officers fired an undisclosed number of shots and killed the dogs, whose owners have not been identified.

The child and her baby sitter, who was in the room at the time, were not injured by the gunfire.

No charges have been filed so far, but the investigation is ongoing.

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