WASHINGTON -- Officers shot and killed a pit bull after it mauled a woman in Southeast Monday evening, police said.
The pit bull somehow got loose from a nearby yard in the 1800 block of 41st Place after 5 p.m. and started mauling 74-year-old woman Catherine Barber, police said. An off-duty officer witnessed the attack and called police, according to authorities. Officers found Barber being attacked and shot the dog.
Officers also detained a second pit bull belonging to the same owner. It was not clear what, if any, charges the dog owner would face Tuesday night.
The woman is hospitalized in serious condition, police said. She teaches yoga at the Fort Davis Recreation Center and worked for the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and the Peace Corps. She also owned a real estate business for 15 years, and three years ago she got a degree in psychology from the University of the District of Columbia.
An officer was nicked in the face by debris caused by the bullets.
