A 15-month-old toddler died after she was bitten by a family dog in an 'unprovoked attack,' police say

• A 15-month-old girl in Rhode Island died after a family dog, identified as a pitbull-type breed, bit the child, NBC affiliate WJAR reported. Two adult family members were injured while attempting to protect the child from the attack.
• Local authorities stated that the police euthanized the dog by shooting it at the residence, the Providence Journal reported.
• Forty-two states and Washington, DC have statutes and ordinances dubbed "Dangerous Dog laws," which regulate violent dog behavior, according to Michigan State University's Animal Legal and Historical Center.
• In Rhode Island, the provisions state that a dog be "humanely euthanized" in the event it kills someone, according to the center.

A 15-month-old girl in Rhode Island died on Thursday after she was bitten by a family dog, NBC affiliate WJAR reported.

Police said Friday that the tragic incident occurred at the toddler's grandparent's home in East Providence, according to WJAR.

East Providence Police Chief William Nebus described the situation as an "unprovoked attack," stating that the dog, which identified as a pitbull-type breed, and the baby were not fighting over food on the ground and showed no sign of hair or tail pulling, WJAR reported.

Two adult family members were injured while attempting to protect the child from the attack. The injured toddler was transported to the local children's hospital but died shortly after arriving for treatment. Local police and Animal Control are investigating the attack, according to WJAR.

Arriving on site where two adults and a child had been attacked by the dog, the police initially tried to "lasso the animal," a neighbor of the family told the Providence Journal. Local police told the newspaper that a police "shot the dog from the roof of the home."

East Providence Chief of Police William Nebus told Insider the police used the house's rooftop to "monitor the dog's movements since he had free reign of the backyard." They said that the "downward trajectory" was a safer angle to euthanize and to prevent additional accidents or injury among homes that were nearby.

Michigan State University's Animal Legal and Historical Center published last year that around 4 to 5 million Americans are bitten by dogs annually. Forty-two states and Washington, DC have statutes and ordinances dubbed "Dangerous Dog laws," which regulate violent dog behavior, according to the center. The center stated these statues include provisions that determine whether a dog must be euthanized after making a serious or fatal attack. These provisions vary by state.

In Rhode Island, the provisions state that a dog be "humanely euthanized" in the event it kills someone, according to the center.

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