INDIANAPOLIS — An elderly man was killed in a dog attack on the city's east side on Tuesday, Jan. 30.
The victims family identified the man as Willie Mundine, 85. He served as a pastor at the Faith Tabernacle Apostolic Church along with his wife.
According to IMPD, officers were called to the 2300 block of Kenyon Street for an aggressive dog attacking a person. This is near 21st Street and Shadeland Avenue.
According to police, the victim was found with multiple dog bites and transported to a local hospital in critical condition. According to family, Mundine was unable to get away from multiple stray dogs as they approached him in his own backyard.
To stop the attack, an IMPD officer fired their weapon at the dog. IMPD and Indianapolis Animal Control were able to secure the dog — which was shot once in the back and is stable.
Mundine's granddaughter, Hollie Watkins, says his screams for help are something she won't ever forget.
"It was just horrifying, scary. I've never seen him like that," Watkins said. "I will never forget those cries."
Watkins says she was in the backyard with her grandparents when the dogs ran up and tried to attack them.
"We ran and he couldn't get in fast enough so we just heard him screaming and we went back there and they were attacking him," she said.
The family tells WRTV Mundine was in surgery and lost a lot of blood from the attack.
Neighbors who live nearby say stray dogs have been a big problem lately, and they haven't been friendly.
"You can't even be in your own backyard," Watkins said.
As a man of faith, Mundine's family says he would want them to lean into prayer during this difficult time.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says the incident is being investigated with assistance from Indianapolis Animal Care Services.
Just one day before the attack, IACS says they were out in the neighborhood for reports of the same dogs that attacked Mundine, attacking someone else.
They couldn't find them.
IMPD announced on Wednesday, Feb. 28 that authorities captured a second dog involved in the attack. The dog is now in the custody of animal control.
Animal care officers say they were in the area when Mundine was attacked.
IACS is continuing to canvas the area for more stray dogs, due to the continued problem in this area, according to the department.
IACS numbers show there has been a rise in dog bites in Indianapolis.
- 2021: 720 reported bites
- 2022: 834 reported bites
- 2023: 1135 reported bites
- 2024: 58 reported bites (as of 1/30/24)
To report a complaint the city recommends you to give an address as specific as possible where it is happening with as much detail as possible.
They say you can stay anonymous when filing a complaint, however, in some cases, actions that IACS can take will be limited if contact information isn't left.
To report a complaint use RequestIndy. The app and the website are available 24/7.
- RequestIndy app (available on iPhone [itunes.apple.com] and Android [play.google.com])
- Request Indy web portal [request.indy.gov]
You can also call the Mayor's Action Center at 317-327-4622.
Call 911 in the case of an emergency.
