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Pit Bull Mauls Dixon Child To Death In Union City

UNION CITY (CBS) — A six-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pit bull at a home in Union City Monday morning, according to Union City police.

Fire crews and an ambulance were called to an address on Elizabeth Way about 11 a.m. Monday morning.

The victim, identified as Dixon resident Nephi Selu, was taken to Stanford Hospital where neighbors of the family say the boy died.

Police said the boy was visiting relatives and had been playing with the dog in the backyard when the dog attacked him, biting him on the top of his head. The boy may have tried to climb onto the animal's back, according to police.

The dog was taken to the Tri-City Animal Shelter in Fremont and will be held for a 10-day quarantine, police said.

The dog's owner was distraught but was cooperating with the investigation, police said. The owner told police that the dog has never bitten anyone before.

The dog had been given anti-rabies shots and was properly licensed, according to police.

Neighbors told KCBS that the family owns two pit bulls and that the dogs were known to be friendly and that somehow the animals may have been provoked. Some said they heard screams but did not think it was something serious.

The case was being investigated by the Union City Police Department.

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