DETROIT –
A 41-year-old Detroit man faces several charges including second degree murder and manslaughter in connection to the death of a 4-year-old boy who was attacked by dogs last week in Detroit.
Xavier Strickland died Wednesday after he was snatched from his mother and dragged under a fence by several dogs in the 15000 block of Baylis Street. A responding Detroit police sergeant shot at the dogs to get them off the boy. Police shot and killed three of the four dogs. The fourth dog was captured and euthanized.
Officers rushed Xavier to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's autopsy results stated the cause of death to be "multiple puncture wounds."
Geneke Antonio Lyons is accused of owning all four dogs that attacked Xavier and his mother. The Prosecutor's Office says the dogs were dangerous animals and had escaped their fenced area in the past and had been a known problem in the neighborhood.
Lyons has been charged with second degree murder, manslaughter, and possessing dangerous animals causing death. He was arraigned Monday afternoon and is being held at the Wayne County Jail. A not-guilty plea was entered on Lyons's behalf. Magistrate Dawn White rejected his attorney's plea for a 10 percent bond.
Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy released this statement on the case:
"The evidence in this case will show that these dogs saw this child as a meal and we believe that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged actions of the defendant in this case rise to the level of murder in the second degree. It is a gross understatement to say that this case is harrowing example of irresponsible pet ownership."
Meanwhile, Xavier's parents filed two civil lawsuits against the dog owner and property owner.
Xaiver's mother, Lucille Strickland, also was injured in the attack. Attorneys at the Sam Bernstein Law Firm said she was "permanently injured trying to save her son’s life."
"This case should be a wake up call for our community," reads a statement from the law firm. "We get calls every day at our office about injuries caused by dogs with dangerous owners. But this affects our region more profoundly -- it’s the death of a child. It’s time to address this problem in a very serious way."
Xavier's parents are seeking damages of more than $25,000 and for the court to hold both the owner of the property and the owner of the dogs responsible for what happened.