4-year-old boy fatally mauled by dog in New York City home

(CBS/WCBS) NEW YORK - A 4-year-old boy is dead after being attacked by a Cane Corso mastiff in his family's New York City apartment.

It happened late Thursday night in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. Police say the dog bit 4-year-old Jayelin Graham multiple times on his head, neck and stomach, reports CBS station WCBS.

Neighbors say the mastiff was in a cage, but often left alone with children.

"The dog was over by the cage, he was outside. There was another dog in the cage. The baby was lying on the floor with his head, like this, like this and the whole neck," said Shirley Barnes, who witnessed the attack.

The boy was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died.

"He was a kid, he was a little kid," Jayelin's godmother, Ashley Della Cruz, said. "All he wanted to to was play. He just wanted to play with the kids on the block.

Police sedated and removed the dog after the attack. They also removed a second dog, a German Shepherd, from the home.

"It was very hard for people to control them - they were dangerous dogs," Della Cruz said.

Officials say the German Shepherd was not involved in the attack, but was still taken to the headquarters of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals along with the Cane Corso mastiff.

The boy's two brothers, ages two and five, were not hurt in the attack.

Officers arriving at the building encountered a chaotic scene and ended up arresting a handful of people for allegedly trying to incite a riot.

The ASPCA will decide what will be done with the dog that mauled the little boy. Police are questioning his mother and say she could face criminal charges. The building's superintendent said the dog belonged to a man who lived with the boy's mother.