Family dog mauls 1-year-old in Rocky Mount

A Rocky Mount toddler remains hospitalized after being attacked Monday by the family dog, authorities said.

Edgecombe County deputies were called to 12039 N.C. Highway 43 North regarding the dog attack and arrived to find the dog slinging 1-year-old Triniti Harrell around in its mouth outside the home, authorities said. The child's mother, Miranda Harrell, was trying to stab the dog to get it to release the child.

"I did all I could," Harrell said on Wednesday, noting that she and Triniti were home by themselves at the time.

The dog was a 6-year-old pit bull mix, Sheriff Clee Atkinson said.

Attempts to distract the dog failed, so a deputy shot the dog twice, killing it, Atkinson said.

Paramedics and deputies performed emergency first aid on Triniti to stabilize her, and she was taken to a nearby hospital and then airlifted to Vidant Memorial Hospital in Greenville for treatment, authorities said.

She was later transferred to UNC Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill, where her mother said she underwent surgery on Wednesday morning. Her condition has stabilized, Harrell said, and the family is hopeful she will recover.

"It's just one of those incidents," Atkinson said during a Wednesday afternoon news conference. "They were playing, having a good time, and the dog reacted at some point."

There was no negligence in the case, and no charges will be filed, he said.

The deputy, whose name wasn't released because he works undercover, was praised for his quick action.

"He's definitely a hero," the sheriff said. "He saved that baby's life."

Atkinson said the shots were difficult ones because they were meant to get the dog to release the child without harming the child.

"That's an awesome shot," he said. "A lot of law enforcement officers would have been hesitant to take that shot. ... We're looking at inches."