NEED TO KNOW
- Jose “Eddie” Castillo, 45, died after being attacked by his two pit bull–type dogs outside his Texas home, per the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office
- A neighbor reportedly broke a machete and used a butcher knife trying to free him
- A responding deputy shot one dog to end the attack; both animals were later euthanized
A Texas man was fatally mauled by his own dogs Sunday evening as a neighbor fought desperately to save him, according to authorities and multiple local outlets.
Deputies with the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 12 to reports of a dog attack in unincorporated Bacliff, the agency shared in a press release. Witnesses told deputies that two pit bull–type dogs belonging to the victim were actively attacking him in his yard.
When deputies arrived, one of the dogs was still latched onto the man’s arm. “In an effort to stop the attack and protect the victim, a deputy discharged his firearm, striking the dog in the center mass,” the sheriff’s office said in the release. The animal released the victim and retreated to a corner of the yard.
The victim — identified by KHOU 11, WCNC, and The Galveston County Daily News as Jose “Eddie” Castillo, 45 — was transported to HCA Houston Clear Lake and was later pronounced dead.
“It was just a horrific experience for sure,” Jesus Excontitta, Castillo’s neighbor, told KHOU 11. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Excontitta broke a machete while trying to intervene, per KHOU 11, ABC13 Houston and WCNC, before grabbing a butcher knife and continuing to stab one of the animals in an effort to stop the attack.
“He was crying, pleading, and I’m just, ‘Sorry, Eddie,’ and stabbing the dog and poking and poking and poking,” Excontitta said.
“My brother had stabbed it several times with the machete and then with the butcher knife and it wouldn’t stop,” Shaine Starrett, Excontitta’s sister, told KHOU 11, adding that she called 911 as the attack continued.
The sheriff’s office said Galveston County Animal Control took custody of both dogs, which were later euthanized because of the extent of their injuries.
Officials added in the release that deputies “never want to harm an animal, but in this case, immediate action was necessary in an attempt to protect the victim’s life.”
