Man killed in Stonnall 'American bully XL' attack named

A man who died after suffering multiple injuries in an attack by two suspected American bully XLs has been named as Ian Price.

He was left in a critical condition after being attacked by the dogs in Stonnall, near Walsall, Staffordshire.

The 52-year-old was taken to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital but was later confirmed dead.

A man, 30, from Lichfield has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, said Staffordshire Police.

He had initially been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of dogs dangerously out of control, causing injury.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to ban American bully XL dogs, describing them as a "danger to communities".

Police said it was understood the dogs were bully XLs, but further tests were being carried out to determine their breed.

One of the dogs died after being restrained and the other died after an injection was given by a vet, police said.

The attack happened in Main Street at about 15:15 BST on Thursday, police said.

Members of the public tried to help the victim and attempted to get the dogs off him.

Meanwhile, children at nearby St Peter's Primary Academy were stopped from leaving for several hours for safety reasons.

Zoe Heath, director of operations at St Chads Academy Trust, which runs the school, said children had been allowed out of the grounds at 18:00 BST.

"The children were let out of school at 3.15 to parents as is normal. We were notified at 3.25 by police that there had been incident on Main Street.

"A text was sent to parents to bring children back to school and gates were closed until we were notified later on in the day," she said.

One of the dogs was captured outside, while the other was contained in the owner's flat.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said in March a woman and her dog had been seen being chased into a shop by the same two dogs which had killed Mr Price.

"It was carnage - the two dogs were after her dog," they said, "I think they had taken a few nips at him.

"The woman was hysterical but she was unhurt."

The resident said police had been called to the incident, which also saw customers jumping over the shop's counter for protection, and the dogs' owner had been given a caution.

Another resident, David Morrell, said: "This morning, to find out that two dogs have attacked a guy in the street is just totally shocking."

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Upon arrival we found a man who had sustained multiple life-threatening injuries and was in a critical condition.

"Unfortunately, after arrival at hospital, despite the best efforts it became clear that nothing more could be done to save him and he was confirmed as deceased."

Supt Tracy Meir, of Staffordshire Police, said the victim's family was being supported.

"Detectives continue to investigate and we have taken statements, viewed CCTV and carried out house-to-house inquiries in the local area, but are keen to speak to anyone with information," she said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said American bully XL dogs will be banned by the end of the year, after work was done to define the breed.

He said he "shares the nation's horror" regarding videos of recent dog attacks, including Thursday's incident which "tragically led to a fatality".

The girl and two men were set upon by an American bully XL outside shops in Bordesley Green on 9 September.

Ana Paun, 11, said she had started to run after seeing a dog staring at her when it grabbed her hand and started moving her about.

BBC Verify reported that 10 people died because of dog bite injuries in England and Wales last year.

Last year, there were nearly 22,000 cases of out-of-control dogs causing injury. In 2018, there were just over 16,000, a BBC investigation found.

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