A Connecticut police officer saved a young woman’s life from a vicious dog attack — fatally shooting the pit bull as it dragged her into a front yard, police said.
The victim, a 19-year-old woman who was not immediately identified, was spotted by an officer in Enfield who was responding to an unrelated call on Spring Street and saw the attack unfold Tuesday afternoon, police said in a statement.
“The officer immediately responded on foot to the area of the dog attack,” police said. “As the officer approached the injured woman, the dog was still biting her foot.”
The dog’s owners briefly stopped the attack by pouring hot water on the animal, but the pit bull — identified on Facebook as a male named Dada — did not completely let up, police said.
“The dog then lunged toward the woman’s neck area, bit her and began to pull her back into the front yard of the property from the sidewalk,” police said. “The officer then dispatched the dog, thus avoiding further injury to the woman.”
The victim, who had severe cuts and tissue damage to her foot, was treated by paramedics at the scene, police said. Enfield Police Chief Alaric Fox told The Post early Wednesday that department officials were unaware of her condition or if she had been hospitalized.
“A review of the potential criminal culpability of the dog’s owner is underway,” Fox wrote in an email. “Enforcement action, if any, taken as a result of this, would be accomplished through the arrest warrant process and as such, would not be imminent.”
There’s no indication the dog had a history of aggressive behavior, Fox said, but an investigation is ongoing.
“The Enfield Police Department wishes to stress that action such as this is taken only under extraordinary circumstances,” department officials said in a statement Tuesday.
“This outcome, while unfortunate, appears to have been unavoidable, in an effort to protect the female victim from further harm or additional injury.”
The pit bull’s owner, meanwhile, identified herself on Facebook as Gina Porcello-Rodriguez.
“Goodbye my little pupster,” Porcello-Rodriguez, of Enfield, wrote late Tuesday alongside several photos of the dog. “I hope u r in doggie heaven and know how much we loved u and how much [we’re] hurting for u … u were my best friend, my son, my protector … they didn’t have to shoot you. All u ever wanted to do was protect us. That’s it!!”
A message seeking comment from Porcello-Rodriguez was not immediately returned early Wednesday.
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