Man Who Shot At Pit Bulls To Save Boy May Now Face Gun DC Charge

So, here's the set-up: An 11-year-old boy was riding a bike through his Washington, D.C. neighborhood when he encountered a trio of unleashed pit bulls. The pit bulls viciously attacked the boy, with the young man’s uncle later recalling that all three of the dogs were biting the boy’s limbs. A neighbor who witnessed the attack went home, retrieved a pistol, and fired at the dogs, striking one. The sound of gunfire alerted a police officer to the attack, and once on the scene the officer dispatched the other two dogs. Following the attack, the boy was taken to a local hospital and underwent surgery.

Due to the capitol’s extremely strict gun laws, the good deed may not go unpunished. Since the gun owner neighbor may have fired the weapon outside of his property line, he might have committed a crime.

A police spokesman would not say whether the gun was legally registered. Even if it was, using it on a D.C. street is illegal. But David Benowitz, a defense lawyer who handles D.C. gun cases, said prosecuting such a case could be problematic because the attack appeared to have occurred near the shooter’s property line.