Pit Bull Shot, Killed During Attack on Officer

Officers D.R. Osborne, R.A. Lee and J.F. Gheen had gone to serve a warrant at a home on the 2500 block of Evers Drive shortly after 6 p.m. Monday when they spotted several people standing near a parked car, police said. As the officers  approached the group, police added, one man fled and Osborne and Gheen chased him.

Gheen caught the man and was struggling with him when a pit bull ran up and began biting at the officer, police said. During the attack, Gheen and Osborne shot at the dog and killed it, police said.

Meanwhile, the man took off again on foot and got a short ways before the two officers caught him again.

Marcus Antonio Williams, 20, was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer. Three outstanding warrants charging him with failure to appear in court on traffic offenses also were served on him, police said.

Devon Qantez Mangum, 17, whom Lee had detained near the parked car was arrested on an outstanding warrant charging him with a probation violation.

Rashad Deon Myers, 19, of 2500 Evers Drive, whom Lee also detained, was served with an outstanding warrant charging him with simple assault.

Police later determined that Myers owned the pit bull that attacked Gheen, and Myers was charged with allowing an animal to run at large, failure to have a rabies tag on the dog and failure to have a city license tag on the dog.

Gheen wasn't seriously injured by the dog or during his scuffle with the suspect, police said.

The Raleigh Police Department created a lesson plan this year to help officers handle encounters with dogs after an officer shot a dog on Christmas Day. That dog was seriously injured, but survived the shooting.