UPDATE: The Berkeley County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim as David Eller, 65, from Moncks Corner.
“Mr. Eller was walking thru the neighborhood when he was fatally mauled by the dogs,” Coroner Darnell Hartwell said.
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BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD)- A man has died after being attacked by two pit bulls in Berkeley County Tuesday afternoon, according to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO).
“I believe our 911 caller was travelling down Old Whitesville Road and saw the dogs dragging around an object and turned around and then discovered that that object was a human being,” said Captain Michael Crumley with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the attack happened around 4:40 p.m. on Ayers Drive near Old Whitesville Road in Moncks Corner at the Pleasant Oaks Mobile Home Park.
According to Captain Crumley, the dogs did not belong to the victim and the attack appears to have been unprovoked.
“He was just a passerby in a common area between two mobile homes here. And as he passed by, those dogs escaped off the front porch of their residence and that’s where the attack occurred,” explained the captain.
Two mobile homes were blocked off with yellow tape while investigators preserved evidence and conducted interviews with witnesses and the dog owner. The sheriff’s office is still working to determine if there have been any past incidents at the location.
Capt. Crumley said any consequences for the owner will depend on the outcome of the investigation. The Berkeley County Coroner was also on scene.
“Here in Berkeley County, we don’t get these calls too regularly. A few years ago, we had one similar to this as well but it’s definitely a tragic incident for something like this to happen here in Berkeley County,” said Coroner Darnell Hartwell.
According to Capt. Crumley, the dogs were taken to the Berkeley County Animal Center and no longer posed a threat to the community.
The scene was cleared just after 7 pm and the investigation is ongoing.