A U.S. postal service carrier who was attacked by a pack of dogs in Florida has died from her injuries.
Pamela Rock was out delivering mail on Sunday when her vehicle broke down in the Interlachen Lake Estates area, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. A short time later residents nearby heard screams and discovered her on the ground, fending off a group a dogs. They all hurried to help her, but in the end, they could not save her.
“One of the neighbors even brought his firearm along and fired several shots into the air and to the ground in an attempt to disrupt the attack,” Putnam County Sheriff Chief Deputy Colonel Joseph Wells said at a news conference Tuesday.
By the time deputies arrived on the scene, the dogs were secured and back home, while 61-year-old Rock was critically injured. Wells said residents had to physically pull and drag the pups off of the woman.
First responders applied tourniquets before Rock was rushed to a nearby hospital and then flown to a trauma center in Gainesville, where she succumbed to her injuries Monday evening.
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An initial investigation revealed that the dogs were able to run free after they shifted some rocks lining a fence that circled their backyard. No information about the canines, including their age and breed, were provided.
Wells said that a probe into the incident is still “very active” and that charges could be filed in the future.
In wake of the attack, animal control workers were called to the scene and took custody of the five dogs, all of who will be humanely euthanized.
Brothers Tyler Neelson and Evan Russo told News4JAX that the dogs have been causing trouble for a while.
“They’re like a pack of hyenas,” Neelson said.
Russo added they would often “tear each other up in the yard.”
Wells noted that animal control officials had visited the dogs’ home at least twice in the last three years
