A woman is in critical condition after a group of dogs attacked her, and others, in a Sanford apartment complex.
The attack happened Tuesday afternoon at a unit within Stonebrook Apartments.
According to new information released Wednesday, a police officer arrived to hear screaming and several saw adults and teens, bloodied and with cuts on their bodies, calling for help. Inside the apartment, he saw five dogs attacking a woman and then began to fire.
"The officer observed a female struggling for her life," said Bianca Gillett with the Sanford Police Department, "And he did, in that split second, what he thought he needed to do. The woman’s life, at that moment, took precedence over those dogs’ lives."
Investigators descended upon the apartment and found a total of five victims, including teens, according to the report.
The victims were taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital. One victim was then airlifted to ORMC.
Four of the dogs died in the shooting; another died from its injuries later. A sixth dog, who remained in a crate, was carried out of the home and taken to Animal Services.
Police have still not determined who owns the dogs, or what will happen to the lone surviving dog.
“As far as we know, they’re pets," said Gillett. "We haven’t received any confirmation who they belong to.”
In addition, police said they do not have any pending criminal charges relating to the attack. They are, however, looking into another incident that took place in December, roughly 10 minutes from the apartment complex.
In that attack, two people were mauled by four dogs. Sanford police said there is no way to determine whether they were, in fact, the same dogs.