Minnesota man mauled, killed by four pit bulls in deadly attack

A Minnesota man, Dezmond R. Thomas Trawick, 22, was playing with his older brother’s four pit bulls when he was involved in a deadly attack by the dogs, leaving him with “extensive bites,” and he died one hour later in the hospital. 

Thomas Trawick’s family relayed that he was watching his older brother’s four pit bulls, but that his brother doesn’t live at the Brooklyn Center home. Thomas Trawick was at his house, Thursday, in his backyard with the dogs when the attack took place. 

Jerry Nelson, Thomas Trawick’s neighbor was interviewed by Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, describing the scene he had witnessed as the four dogs brutally attacked the 22-year-old. 

“I’ve been messed up all day today,” he stated.

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Nelson settled in Minnesota after he fled Liberia due to a civil war taking place. He explained what he saw in Liberia, but tried to express the shock he felt after witnessing four dogs attacking a man, which was something that he couldn’t comprehend.  

“I saw during the civil war people shooting people, but I come here, and I see, you know, pets – they’re supposed to be man’s best friend – attacking – and yeah, I just saw – it’s terrible – can’t forget that.” 

He said that he saw Thomas Trawick tossing a tennis ball to the four dogs in his backyard. 

“I thought they were playing, you know, jumping on him, and I was like, ‘Hey, you need help?’ And then he looked at me. He’s like, you know, fighting them off. He’s like, you know – kind of hesitated. But then it got really serious. He’s like, ‘Yeah, can you come here? Can you come help me?’”    

Nelson relayed that he called 911, during the attack. He began throwing rocks and sticks at the dogs to try and get them off of Thomas Trawick. 

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“I mean, those are big, giant, dogs and I couldn’t get them off of him,” said Nelson.  

He expressed how the thought of Thomas Trawick dying didn’t cross his mind as he called for 911 to help save his neighbor. 

“It was horrible calling because I – I never envisioned that. All I knew that he was hurt and needed help and he was going to come back. But, you know, death wasn’t even on my mind.”  

Brooklyn Center Police Department said they received a call around 12:45 that afternoon. Once police arrived to the house, they shot a nonlethal round that hit one of the pit bulls, leading all the dogs to head back into Thomas Trawick’s house. 

He suffered from “extensive bites” and most of his clothing was torn from the dogs, according to police. 

Thomas Trawick was intubated and immediately taken to North Memorial Health Hospital where he died just one hour later. Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that he died due to the severity of his injuries. 

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His death has been labeled as an accident by the medical examiner’s office. The dogs are now under quarantine at Pups Under Police Security (PUPS), an animal holding facility. Police say the pit bulls must go through a “dangerous dog evaluation” to determine what will happen to them, according to a report by Minneapolis StarTribune. 

The cause of the dogs’ attack against Thomas Trawick is under investigation, according to Brooklyn Center Police Commander Tony Gruenig. 

“There is about a 10- to 14-day process to declare the dogs dangerous,” Gruenig said. “We have to serve paperwork, have a hearing, if it’s declared dangerous then there is an appeal process.” 

Gruenig also stated that “the owners could also turn the dogs over to the city, and the hearing would be waived.” 

A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up by Dionne Thomas, to help the family receive donations as they prepare for Thomas Trawick’s funeral, memorial, and other daily expenses as they mourn his loss.  

A tribute to Thomas Trawick was posted for donors and anyone who comes across the page to see. 

“Dezmond Thomas Trawick tragically passed away recently. This excruciating loss is sudden and will be felt by many. Dezmond was a brother, a son, an uncle, a grandson and a friend. He was abundantly loved by the Brooklyn Center Community and was a graduate of Brooklyn Center High School. He was loved by everyone that knew him. Dezmond was known as an old soul, a generous giver of his time, support and guidance. He loved the people around him and he loved his family,” the tribute reads.