Albany PD identify man killed by 8-9 dogs

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — The Albany Police Department identified James Provost, 59, of Schenectady as the victim of Wednesday’s fatal dog attack . The attack occurred in the backyard of a house on Central Avenue near Rawson Street. Provost was mauled by up to 9 dogs. Police shot and killed one of the dogs, the others fled but were rangled by a caretaker.

A witness requesting anonymity described the gruesome scene of which graphic video was circulated on social media. “There was multiple dogs on top of somebody’s body they couldn’t recognize the person whether they were old or young,” the woman said.

According to Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins, Provost is from Schenectady, and why he was in that Albany backyard remains unclear. Police also say they need to determine how the dogs got from their yard to the yard next door where Provost was killed.

Police say this isn’t the first time the dog’s home was the subject of police activity. “Back in May, we did conduct a search warrant of that home due to drug activity. During that search warrant several dogs were confiscated at that time,” Hawkins revealed.

Chief Hawkins says four to five people resided in the home where the attack dogs live. In total, police recovered 24 mixed-breed pit bulls, many of which were puppies, at the house. The surviving 23 dogs were taken in by the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.

“We are working with the district attorney’s office to determine exactly what if any criminal charges are applicable here but certainly that’s a possibility,” Hawkins told reporters.

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