A Detroit man who was mauled by three dogs on his way home from a bus stop has died from his injuries.
Harold Phillips, a 35-year-old father of six, died Friday evening, four days after he was attacked by the dogs as he walked from a bus stop to his home, his wife, Shauntaye Phillips, said.
Detroit Animal Control and Care explained how the three dogs came out of a fenced yard and brutally attacked him.
Phillips was hospitalized after the attack and had to have his right arm amputated, but the situation continued to worsen.
He was sent to dialysis, received multiple blood transfusions and then put into a medically induced coma, but his organs began to fail.
“It is with deep sadness that I announce Harold’s death,” Shauntaye, to whom he was married for 11 years, said in an online statement.
Harold Phillips, a 35-year-old father of six, died Friday evening, four days after he was attacked by the dogs as he walked from a bus stop to his home
Phillips was hospitalized after the attack and placed in a medically induced coma
Phillips had to have his right arm amputated, but the situation continued to worsen and he died
“It is painful to think of all the important milestones Harold will miss in our children's lives, from our son's first basketball game this weekend to our daughter's upcoming daddy-daughter dance that he has been looking forward to. “Our lives will never be the same.”
Five children between the ages of 8 and 17 still live in the family home.
“I wouldn’t leave his side. As long as his heart beat, we fought. Our children needed him. Now I'm just lost. My babies need their father. “I need my man #Day1,” Shauntaye wrote on Saturday.
The doting wife continued to keep people updated on her husband's progress by posting on a GoFundMe page that raised $53,000 for medical expenses. The money will now be used for a funeral.
The three dogs that attacked Phillips were euthanized and their owner, Roy Goodman, was fined $5,000 for not following the city's order and failing to secure the animals, WWJ reported.
“To the Phillips family, I’m so sorry,” Roy Goodman told WXYZ. “There's nothing I can do to fix this. But if there's anything I can do, I will.”
Five children, ages 8 to 17, still live in the family home in Detroit
Harold Phillips had been married to Shauntaye for 11 years
Goodman claims he noticed the dogs running loose and said he was looking for them.
It's unclear what breeds or ages the dogs that attacked Phillips were.
When he got back outside, he heard someone screaming for help and called 911.
On Thursday, the Phillips family announced they were suing the city of Detroit and the dogs' owner. It was not disclosed how much money the family is seeking in the lawsuit.
Detroit police are investigating the attack.
The three dogs that attacked Phillips were euthanized and their owner, Roy Goodman (pictured), was fined $5,000 for failing to comply with the city's order and failing to secure the animals
One of the Goodmans' dogs bit a child in 2021, according to Detroit Animal Care and Control
One of the Goodmans' dogs bit a child in 2021, according to Detroit Animal Care and Control.
It was the same dog that was involved in the attack on Phillips, ABC7 reports.
The city of Detroit only allows two dogs per household, according to animal control officials, but the couple had at least four.
Court records then detail how Goodman was charged in January 2021 with failure to stop an animal from engaging in nuisance/threatening behavior, a misdemeanor.
He pleaded guilty at the time, but the case was dismissed.
Goodman and his wife are now facing multiple violations, including not having licensed dogs, not having proof of rabies vaccinations, exceeding the limit of two dogs per household and failing to prevent dangerous/threatening behavior in their dogs.