Woman is beaten, pit bull wounded

YOUNGSTOWN — A 30-year-old East Side woman was beaten this morning and her pit bull wounded by gunfire at her home that was the May 25 scene of a pit-bull mauling of a 6-year-old boy.

The pit bull that attacked Paul Richardson Jr. of 1416 Republic Ave. was destroyed, Sean Toohey, an assistant Mahoning County dog warden, said today, but there was a second pit bull left at the house.

Police were called about 5:30 a.m. to investigate a report of shots fired outside the Republic house. The resident told police she arrived home about 3 a.m. She told police that, while on her porch, she was struck in the back of the head, dragged into the house and beaten by four men — three with handguns and one with a rifle.

The report doesn’t indicate if the woman who was beaten owned the dog that mauled Paul.

A neighbor said that he was awake about 5 a.m. Saturday when he saw a man being chased down the street as four men were firing at him.

Police reported finding 22 bullets and casings along the street, and nine live rounds and spent shells inside the woman’s house. They found blood in the kitchen that trailed upstairs, where they found a pit bull wounded by gunfire but alive.

The woman refused to give police any other information.

The neighbor said after the mauling that the dog that attacked the boy was owned by the boy’s family at the house. Paul suffered wounds to his face, neck and lips.