Indiana sheriff’s deputy dead, child injured in dog attack

A woman was killed and an 8-year-old child was wounded in a Tuesday night dog attack in Indianapolis, police said. 

The woman, identified by CBS affiliate WTTV as Marion County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Tamieka White, was found in the garage area of an Indianapolis home, officials said. She was pronounced dead at the Forsythia Drive scene. 

“She was a bright light to everyone, and will [be] missed by all who knew her,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook. “We will work tirelessly to uphold her memory.”

The child, identified by WTTV as White’s 8-year-old son, suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening. 

“First and foremost, Deputy White was a mother,” Brittany Seligman, White’s commander, said during a press conference shared by WTTV. “She died last night protecting the most important person in her life in a tragic animal attack in her home.

Multiple dogs were at the home when officers arrived, police said. Officers shot a dog they described as “actively aggressive.” The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department did not specify if the dog shot by officers was the dog that attacked the woman and child. 

Police called Indianapolis Animal Care Services to the scene for help, authorities said. The animal agency took three live dogs, one dead dog and one cat from the scene, WTTV reported. CBS News has reached out to the animal services agency for additional information.

White was described by local officials as courageous and dedicated. She’d worked for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office since 2007. Most recently, she’d served in their Judicial Enforcement Division.

There have been several deadly dog attacks across the U.S. this year. Most recently, a baby was killed and a woman was seriously injured in an Iowa dog attack in early May. 

Dog attacks in Louisiana and Idaho in January left children dead. In February, a man in his 80s was killed and three others were hurt in a Texas dog attack. A Pennsylvania woman died after she was attacked by a neighbor’s dog in March.