Dog Owners Sued Over Fatal Attack That Killed Father Of 6 In Detroit

DETROIT — The wife of a man who was fatally attacked by dogs while walking home from a bus stop in Detroit is suing the animals’ owners as well as city authorities, according to reports.

Harold Phillips was attacked by three dogs in late January and died Feb. 2 after his right arm was amputated, his wife, Shauntaye Phillips, wrote on a GoFundMe page following the incident. A father of six, Harold Phillips was funny and a great cook, according to his wife.

Shauntaye Phillips is suing the owners of the dogs, Roy and Trevina Goodman, as well as Detroit Animal Care and Control, Friends of Detroit Animal Care and Control, and several people affiliated with animal control, the Detroit Metro Times reported.

The named organizations tried to avoid euthanasia and in doing so created a dangerous environment, the lawsuit suggested, according to the Metro Times.

The Goodmans were each charged with having a dangerous animal causing death, WXYZ reported in February, and Roy Goodman confirmed to the outlet that the couple’s dogs had been involved in three prior bite cases, including one in which the victim was a child.

The three dogs that attacked Harold Phillips were euthanized and a fourth belonging to the Goodmans was seized, according to WXYZ.

Detroit declined to comment to the Metro Times about the lawsuit due to its active status and the outlet could not reach Friends of Detroit Animal Care and Control.