Lucillie Strickland was walking with Xavier at about 12:30 p.m. December 2 on her way to volunteer at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School when the pit bulls rushed at them.
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People gather during the candlelight vigil for Xavier Strickland on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Detroit.
Dozens of people gathered to remember a 4-year-old Detroit boy who was mauled to death by pit bulls.
“It is a gross understatement to say that this case is harrowing example of irresponsible pet ownership”, Worthy said in a statement.
She tried to protect her son by covering him from the dogs with her body.
Prosecutor say the animals were unsafe and had escaped from their fenced area before and were a “known” problem in the neighborhood.
Lyons has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, possessing risky animals causing death. Lucille fell on Xavier, prompting them to bite her ear, leg and back.
He was taken to the hospital but later pronounced dead. The family is seeking compensation for Xavier’s death and the mother’s injuries.
A police sergeant happened to be nearby and saw the attack, prompting him to shoot and kill three of the dogs, while the fourth was captured and later euthanized, according to the Associated Press.
The lawsuit states Lyons had a duty to maintain “reasonable care and precautions in the supervision, training and securing” of the dogs in order to prevent reasonable harm to citizens like Xavier.
The dogs, one of which was a pit bull, ripped the boy from his mother’s grasp as they walked down Baylis Street near the John C. Lodge Freeway, then pulled him under a fence where they mauled him.
“This case should be a wake up call for our community. It’s time to address this problem in a very serious way”, said Mark Bernstein in a press release.
Lyons was due in court Monday and unavailable for comment.
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The family have also set up a GoFundMe page in order to help pay for the boy’s funeral costs.
