Home > Crime > Toddler Dies, Grandmother Shot During Pitbull Attack

Toddler Dies, Grandmother Shot During Pitbull Attack

May 10, 2012 at 10:49 am by kniption

Las Cruces, NM — A 16-month-old girl was fatally attacked by a family pit bull Tuesday. Witnesses said the girl’s grandmother was accidentally shot by a neighbor trying to help the toddler. The witness accounts alleviated initial fears that a pit bull armed with a pistol and an opposable thumb was on the loose in New Mexico.

Around 11:30 a.m., Police were called by a neighbor reporting the girl’s attack and the grandmother, 52, crying for help. The 2-year-old pit bull reportedly attacked the girl in the backyard of her grandparents’ home. The grandmother was also attacked trying to help the girl.

The 69-year-old neighbor who called 911 then retrieved a .45-caliber handgun and went to help the grandmother and granddaughter. Police said the neighbor fired several shots at the dog, and one of them accidentally hit the grandmother’s leg.

“A lot of [the injuries were] to the top of her head and the side of her face,” neighbor Chris Wallard – who performed CPR – said. “I was really scared. I didn’t know what to do.”

The dog ran to the side of the home, where the neighbor shot the devil-beast and killed it – presumably after trading the near-worthless .45-caliber handgun for a military issue shoulder-launched rocket with a depleated-uranium-tipped pure silver projectile that had been sprinkled with holy water, blessed by a bishop, and rubbed with fresh garlic and wolfsbane – and then quickly driving a wooden stake through the dog’s heart and immediately severing its head. Specific details of the dog’s killing, though, were not reported.

“It appeared that the toddler was left alone with the dog in the backyard,” said Dr. Beth Vesco-Mock, director of the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley. “It does not mean the dog is vicious, or a bad dog. There is no such thing as a bad dog.” Vesco-Mock added.

Jose Gomez, another neighbor of the family, recounted seeing the dog on a walk a few days prior to the attack on news video.

“Well he was coming after me when I picked up the paper and he had to hold ‘em and then he took off with the dog,” said Gomez. Gomez added that ‘everyone in the neighborhood was afraid of that dog.’

Police said the toddler, later named in the media as Jazilyn Mesa, received multiple injuries to her head and chest and was taken to an area hospital. She was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon, police said. Police have said that no charges are expected against the neighbor who shot the dog.

Tags: grandmother, maulking, New Mexico, pit bull, Shooting, toddler

73 Comments

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kniption

I considered framing Dr. Vesco-Mock’s statement as…

“It appeared that the toddler was left alone with the dog in the backyard,” said Dr. Beth Vesco-Mock, director of the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley. “It does not mean the dog is vicious, or a bad dog. There is no such thing as a bad dog.” Vesco-Mock added looking nervously while the pit bull assigned from her looked on glaringly and the pit bull mothership hovered in the background.

…but I know how nobody likes joking in these stories.

Seriously, though… Why is there no such thing as a bad dog? I’ve had bad beers, bad donuts, bad relationships, bad haircuts, bad government, bad music purchases, bad dinners, bad ice cream… How come I can’t have a bad dog?
http://twitter.com/RudestBuddhist RudestBuddhist

PLEASE READ:

If you have a dog that shows any type of aggression at all, keep it the fuck away from small children.

Common sense?
Zazen

‘ presumably after trading the near-worthless .45-caliber handgun for a
military issue shoulder-launched rocket with a depleated-uranium-coated
pure silver projectile that had been sprinkled with holy water, blessed
by a bishop, and rubbed with fresh garlic and wolfsbane – who then then
quickly drove a wooden stake through the dog’s heart and immediately
severed its head.’

You sound very well versed on the procedure kniption. Can we assume you are an internet expert on pitbull exorcisms? What does The Almighty Animal Control say? Inquiring minds and all…
kniption

Officials at the Office of Galactic Animal Control – who regulate the actions of all Animal Control Officers in our known universe – advocate an alternative method of smearing your naked body in melted ice cream and bacon grease and assuming a defenseless position to lure an attacking dog away from a baby.

…but I find that it is easier to keep the ingredients of my solution at-the-ready. Take your choice, though. Either method should work just fine.
DMC_Vergil

Honestly, I think that I hate this world.
sugarpie

So grandma – all because you are a complete moron and left a 16 month old alone in the backyard with an aggressive dog, you’ve lost a beautiful child, your asshole dog and got shot. Hope whatever you were doing was important.
neenaP

A child, especially a toddler or infant, shouldn’t be left alone with a dog none the less a dog that can fit the child’s head in it’s mouth and lock down. If the dog was known to be aggressive ( not all pits are ) the adults should be charged for negligence. The only dogs my son has petted is a pug and a tiny very passive lab mix , but I was right there supervising. I think young child’s quick movements might provoke an animal.
neenaP

Understatement
http://truecrimereport.com iLLusionS

Poor kid. I guess if it had been a tiger instead of a dog, grandma wouldn’t have let the baby near it..
OutOfBubbleGum

Did bubble boy’s parents own a pit bull, too?
JohnQknowitall

“It appeared that the toddler was left alone with the dog in the backyard,” said Dr. Beth Vesco-Mock, director of the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley. “It does not mean the dog is vicious, or a bad dog. There is no such thing as a bad dog.” Vesco-Mock added

Dogs are dogs. Pitbulls are pitbulls. Pythons are pythons. Idiot adults are idiot adults.

I would not have a pitbull or a python for a pet. I think both are negative lottery pets.
Sam

Is that an actual picture of baby and dog? I must say, that dog does NOT look like it’s happy to be crawled over – it looks about ready to reach back and chomp on some baby eyebrows.
Kimberly

“The dog ran to the side of the home, where the neighbor shot the devil-beast and killed it – presumably after trading the near-worthless .45-caliber handgun for a military issue shoulder-launched rocket with a depleated-uranium-coated pure silver projectile that had been sprinkled with holy water, blessed by a bishop, and rubbed with fresh garlic and wolfsbane – and then quickly driving a wooden stake through the dog’s heart and immediately severing its head. Specific details of the dog’s killing though, were not reported.”LOL Thanks Kniption, I needed that laugh
DangerousKindOfSnark

I will be laughing at this and the article all day. I am in deep smitt with your writing lately.
EveryVillainIsLemons

How many kids have to die before caregivers get a fucking clue and STOP leaving kids alone with their dogs, especially if they’ve been raised to be mean? Whoever raised that dog to be mean enough to make the neighbors afraid should be charged, too. It’s fucking stupid to treat an animal that way and not expect it to turn on you or your loved ones at the first opportunity.
DangerousKindOfSnark

Honestly, I wish they would stop selling large constrictors as pets. They do not make good pets. They are unruly, heavy, strong, and dangerous. I wouldn’t own any of them if I hadn’t taken them in from careless owners. They do not love you and there is no truly safe interaction with them. At least a Pit Bull is capable of caring for their owners. I do agree with you and would never buy one of my own free will.
Zazen

Well, if you want a bad dog, I’ll lend you mine and all you have to do is just leave out a few rolls of paper towels and he will get to work. That’s about the best I can do.
kniption

So I would actually have to wrap an unwanted baby in toilet paper?! Well, that seems like a lotta work!!
http://www.facebook.com/JellyBellyMomma Kimberly Hanselman

You know, animal activists say it’s not the breed, but we sure have been reading a lot of articles on here lately involving pits. I say, dogs just suck. ALL dogs. Except Beagles, because they are cute.
kniption

Laughing at this horribly sad article?! How could you?!?!
Zazen

Not toilet paper, (egasp!) Bowie has preferences sir! It’s gotta be Bounty paper towels or no mauled baby for you!
Snickering_Hydra

So…Grandma runs over to the neighbor’s for help. The neighbor, still a crack shot at 69-years though he hasn’t bothered to lift a gun since Vietnam, charges over and heroically opens fire. The first clip trims the yard a bit, and manages to hit grandma in the leg, which finally stops her from dancing around hysterically.

After the pit bull is spooked by several shots that were at least five feet off, it takes off for the opposite end of the yard. The neighbor corners the brute and, once he has it backed into a corner, proceeds to hit it with about 3 shots out of a 7 round clip. He is a hero, and no charges will be pressed. Afterwards, grandma thanks him for his swift response and her therapeutic leg wound.
kniption

Crimony. This bad-dog-ownership thing is complicated…
curiousalways

but have you had bad sex?
darsa

Parental stupidity rears its ugly head once again! Very, very sad.
kniption

Yes. …but I’ve never met anyone who has.
Abroad

You do know a lot of beagles get rather cranky with age? I knew someone who had her face disfigured by the family beagle.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7N6KYE5OZO7WNUYTTYEDVWOINE Marysa Nieves

Should there be charges against the neighbor? If you think there should be, what would those charges be? Good Samaritanism in the 3rd degree???
DangerousKindOfSnark

We’ve covered this territory before, I’m a no good bitch.
JGo555

As sad as this was there shouldn’t even BE a mention for the neighbor shooting the grandma & shooting the dog.

If I were that grandma I would’ve thought to shoot that dog too & if I got shot, my ass deserved the pain of the bullet since it’s my fault my granddaughter died. Even if it is all an accident, feeling a bit of physical pain would somehow make up a bit for my perceived fault.

I hope ya’ll understand me because I can’t explain it any clearer.
JGo555

There CAN be a bad dog. You know like there’s a BAD HUMAN & I’m not even talking about Dahmer or Bundy (cause those shits are like fucking Evil incarnated!).

But bad dogs like BAD humans are barely known. Plus it’s an animal. In it’s wild state, the pack would’ve killed it before it got full grown.
JGo555

One that I would like to spank.

And I am straight.

Tear that ass UP!
JGo555

I’m sorry, but why in the fuck would I own a pet that WILL get bigger than me, that I have to have it a fucking ROOM & that will eat ME if it ever escaped & was hungry enough!???

That & there is nothing cute about a fucking snake. I fucking HATE snakes. I fucking hate snakes with a vengance.

And I would hate snakes even more if they were in a motherfucking plane.
JGo555

See my comment above. He was trying to help. His ass would’ve been next for being a moving target after he was done with the baby & trying to help.

Getting shot for grandma will be the least painful part of this terrible & yet stupidly preventable accident.
Snickering_Hydra

I wouldn’t press charges, I just think his terrible shooting is a bit comical. Thankfully, he only had a .45 – if he’d had a shotgun the whole family might have gotten a bit of buckshot in the backside.
Chinchillazilla

I’m sure some dogs can be messed up and mean without any legitimate reason just as some people are. I just think it’s pretty rare for dogs. 99 times out of 100, a dog is broken because someone broke it.
Chinchillazilla

I’m sure some dogs can be messed up and mean without any legitimate reason just as some people are. I just think it’s pretty rare for dogs. 99 times out of 100, a dog is broken because someone broke it.
Chinchillazilla

I’m sure some dogs can be messed up and mean without any legitimate reason just as some people are. I just think it’s pretty rare for dogs. 99 times out of 100, a dog is broken because someone broke it.
http://www.facebook.com/JellyBellyMomma Kimberly Hanselman

Oh yes, definitely! I was just kidding. I honestly do not trust dogs, at all. I love animals, but I don’t trust them.
kniption

The neighbor being a bad shot is the easy answer. I’ve been thinking that the guy is actually a paramilitary-trained shooter who saw fit to give it to grandma on principle.

“…and then, officers, in all the commotion, I managed to squeeze off a round dead-center into the calf of that numbskull who left a toddler alone with a potentially aggressive dog. Errr… I mean, I accidentally wounded the grandmother whose leg was near the dog. Yeah. That’s it.”
Reen B

No kidding. My first thought was “That dog’s ears are laid back and his expression is like ‘Get off me or I’m gonna roll you up with mustard on a tortilla.”

My second thought: It gives me the creeps to read stories like this (human and otherwise) that have a photo of the murderer with his victim.
Sam

Right?

…
dogs like mustard?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7N6KYE5OZO7WNUYTTYEDVWOINE Marysa Nieves

I guess it was okay to shoot this dog??? I was expecting outrage from the unofficial rep from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Fuck Humans! (SPCAFU)
Snickering_Hydra

Oh she deserved it all right. Let me revise my statement. The paramilitary-trained shooter was incredibly skilled in shooting; In fact, he was so talented that he could pop one in grandma while making it seem that the dog was his target. In the end, his low accuracy was necessary for maintaining the illusion that he had accidentally shot the negligent grandma.
JohnQknowitall

It is a good distraction.
Jubilex

Only when it’s slathered on small children first
Jubilex

Well to be a Grandma you had to get through at least one child without error…. so I’ll put this down as dog owner stupidity – the same symptoms that include the following phrases:

“There are no such thing as bad dogs”
“Dogs are only mean if the owner is abusive”
“My dog is great with children”
“Oh he’s just curious let him sniff you”
“Fluffy wouldn’t hurt anyone ever he’s the bestest doggie ever”

about 50% (made up number but it seems about that way) of the stories are about animals that were raised to be guard dogs or ‘mean’ for protection… the other 50% are these animals that were great family pets that suddenly snap. Any animal can snap… just some are deadly when they do.
Wildheart

That’s exactly why my little terrier mix doesn’t like small children…..AND exactly why he never gets near one.
Wildheart

>then quickly driving a wooden stake through the dog’s heart and immediately severing its head.

Burning…..you forgot burning, the most important last step.

>It does not mean the dog is vicious, or a bad dog. There is no such thing as a bad dog.

No, only stupid ignorant fucktards who don’t know how to properly care for children or animals, and shouldn’t be allowed to have either.
AssWho?

Damn the dude missed, Grandma deserved one to the noddle not the leg. I vote anyone who leaves a child with a pit bull should have to parish in a identical fashion. Fucking idiots. What do people think is going to happen, that a viscous breed will defy all know statistics and genetics, oh thats right they have “special” pit bulls. The only thing special is its dead and sadly took a infants life with it.
Califboy

pit bulls should be used for target practice..period.
Castille

…it does not mean the dog is vicious. Yeah, because it was just playing when it killed a baby and mauled a grandma… Or maybe terrified. Christ, people like Dr. Vesco-Mock make dog lovers sound like fucking idiots, like parents blind to a critical criminal defect in their child.
minjofu

Every time I read an article that involves a pitbull killing a child I think about how 6 out of 10 dogs listed for rehoming on craiglslist in the pet section are pitbulls .. They always start with “Maggie is a good girl” .. or “Help a good boy find a good home” .. I always roll my eyes and think “If they’re such ‘good’ dogs then why are you getting rid of them in the first place?” .. If you want to see what I’ve seen go ahead and look at craigslist, under minneapolis, and look at the pets section.. There are at least 3 new pits a day.. all adults.. Spaying and neutering is a good idea when it comes to controlling the pet population in general, but with some dog breeds it should be manditory.. Stop.. making.. new.. pitbulls..

And I agree with the poster that the dog’s body language in that photo totally says “get off me” .. If the dog didn’t mind it wouldn’t be looking at the child.. it would have stayed flopped down on the floor..
newstarshipsmell

BAD DOG!
http://www.facebook.com/brittney.east Brittney East

total side note, and maybe be the nyquil talking, but Jubilex, your pic made me laugh out loud.
Jubilex

It captures how I feel whenever I read comments on the internet lol
wyrosjr

Humane euthanization is a great idea for these snakes.
wyrosjr

You know, some dogs are just mean regardless how they are raised.
FrikkenFrak

I’d like to lock Dr. Beth in a room with a few NON bad dogs I find from my neighborhood (after they’ve gone without any food for 2 days).
http://profile.yahoo.com/GIJUOGVCZ7NONPEFH32T3GJ2LI O

If people want these dogs they should have them if they keep them locked up in their own homes. But they should never be around small children at any time.
sherrdbw

A baby killed by a pit bull? Say it ain’t so. When are people going to get it through their heads that they shouldn’t have these types of dogs around children? I know, I know it’s not the dog’s fault but the owners’. I call bullshit on that one. IMO pitts should be allowed to become extinct. I know that I’m going to get some nasty comments from some people, but I stand by my statement. And yes I have seen some sweet and friendly pit bulls before. I don’t hear a million stories about someone being killed by Dachshunds, Border Collies or Beagles. And why in the fuck was that baby all alone in the backyard with that vicious dog?
jdevola

good shot
http://www.facebook.com/HONEYBEAR66 Honey Angela Rose

bi polar dogs
pikeman

That’s almost as bad as bi polar bears. Polar bears that go for either sex.
http://www.facebook.com/HONEYBEAR66 Honey Angela Rose

I own 2 rottweilers & my motto is ” if it got teeth, it can bite”, my dogs are not trained to hurt or kill, but that does not mean if you fuck with them, they wont snap, so stay away & let them be & vice versa. no one is allowed near my dogs, I know there body language & moods, but i dont know there reaction to stupid people who think they got balls & wanna go up against them.
newstarshipsmell

Hey @kniption:disqus – just noticed you mistagged this article “maulking” which is pretty fucking hilarious in itself and fodder for future lame jokes of mine but I figured maybe you’d want to fix it.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1174837622 Jon Anonnon

all pit bulls are bad,why leave it alone with the kid,was it a nanny dog??
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1174837622 Jon Anonnon

inbred by back yard breeders,like every single pit out there.Was it a blue pit as they are the worst for inbreeding.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1174837622 Jon Anonnon

yeah it looks evil,like all pits.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1174837622 Jon Anonnon

Animal people put out a report that said every year 40 % of the total pit bull population enters the shelters,And by the time they are 2 years old they on the third owner.
rshamster

Poor dog If this occurred to me and my stupid neighbor decided that it was ok to kill my dog then his ass would have a gun pointed at his face as well.
http://www.facebook.com/charmine.pettigrew Charmaine Pettigrew

FOR FUCK SAKE PEOPLE no big dogs around kids EVER i refuse to have a large dog around my son, my mum’s dog {a black lab} had its foiot caught in the fence {or so we seemed} and my mum tried to pull her our and got bit right to the bone for it, she didnt get rid of her becouse the dogs leg wasnt caught in the fence as we first thought, her leg was being eaten by another dog on the other side, and she never bit again till the day we finally were forced to give her away {due to her barking} a few years back my neaigbours got there hands on an abused dog and were warned about her i didnt no they had her and i walked right upto there door and raised my hand to knock and the next think i no my hand is in a dogs mouth i ran to my mum crying {i was 22} and was scared shitless of the dog next time i went back the male owner tried to bring her around and the girl owner saw how scared of her i was a made him take her back to the front, i did not report the dog as she was an abused dog and that dog has since found a home on a farm and hasnt bitten another person but no matter what i will not allow any dog thats mouth is bigger then my sons neck, face, arm, leg or head to be around him, soon my neaighbours puppy wont be allowed as he is an american bulldog cross and its getting quite big so i worry
http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/ Dakota Valkyrie

Authorities filed criminal charges this week against the grandparents and father of a 15-month-old girl who was mauled to death in May by the family’s pit bull.

On Monday, Las Cruces Police arrested Leticia I. Mesa, 52, her husband Arthur “Arturo” Mesa Sr., 57, and Jesus Mesa, 21, all residents of 819 Stone Canyon Drive in Las Cruces, where Jesus Mesa’s young daughter, Jazilyn Mesa, was fatally mauled on May 8.
[...]

Neighbors said they were shocked with the arrests, which police made after obtaining warrants charging Leticia Mesa with negligent child abuse resulting in death. Arthur Mesa and Jesus Mesa are each charged with one count of possession of a dangerous dog resulting in death.
[...]

Several neighbors told police that the Mesa’s pit bull, named Tyson, had at various times prior to the attack, shown aggression toward them and their dogs. One neighbor told police that Leticia Mesa had revealed that Tyson previously attacked another dog belonging to the family, tearing off its scalp.
[...]

An elderly neighbor said the pit bull once attacked him and his German shepherd, but told police that the Mesas pleaded with him not to report the incident. Another neighbor reported warning Leticia Mesa to get better control of the dog before something bad happened, but said she laughed off those concerns, according to court documents.

The baby girl’s mother had also been worried about the pit bull being close to her daughter, and demanded that Arthur and Leticia Mesa keep the dog locked in a kennel whenever the girl visited. Arthur and Leticia Mesa agreed, but police say they did not keep that promise, and that Leticia Mesa thought the young girl’s mother was being overprotective, according to court documents.
[...]

More: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_21516116/charges-filed-fatal-dog-attack