St. Pete police found the man bleeding and lying in the road with his dog, a medium-sized pit bull-mix, on a leash.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Pete police say a man died after he was found bleeding and lying in the road Wednesday night with his dog on a leash next to him.
According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, the incident happened at 8:17 p.m. Wednesday on Quincy Street South near 26th Avenue South.
Officers arrived to find a 52-year-old man, who appeared to be seriously injured, unresponsive in the roadway.
Investigators say a pit bull-mix dog, which they learned belonged to the man, was with him on a leash. The dog, according to police, “would not allow rescue workers to approach the victim.”
Police say the dog became agitated and began to bite the man, which is when an officer shot and killed the dog.
The man was already dead when rescue workers were able to get to him. In an update, police said preliminary autopsy reports indicate that the man suffered life-threatening dog bites to the neck and shoulder.
There were no other indications of foul play.