'Eight or nine' pit bulls maul, kill New York man

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- A 59-year-old man from Schenectady, N.Y., was attacked and killed by multiple dogs in Albany, police announced Thursday.

Officers responded to the scene of the multiple pit bulls attacking the man in a yard next to an Albany home about 6 p.m. local time Wednesday.

The animals continued to maul the man even after he collapsed. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, the Albany Police Department said in a press release .

Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said "eight or nine" pit bulls attacked and killed James Provost.

"In an attempt to stop the attack, one of the responding officers discharged his duty weapon, striking at least one dog," the release said.

Police said the dogs, all of which were accounted for, have been placed in "an appropriate homing facility."

A bystander provided a cell phone video showing the attack to a local TV station.

Police were slowed in their response to the incident as someone herded a remaining 23 dogs into a nearby home, Hawkins said.

An investigation is ongoing.

Every year, at least 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs, according to data released from Forbes . As many as 50 of the attacks are fatal, the numbers show.

"Pit bulls are involved in more dog attacks than any other breed. In fact, the American Animal Hospital Association reports this breed was responsible for 22.5% of bites across all studies," the Forbes study said.