BOARDMAN — It is unlikely a Boardman man will face charges for shooting at a pit bull that was attacking his son, police said.

A Boardman police report states officers responded to a dog attack Tuesday at 58 Wilda Ave., where they found a bloody scene.

“I don’t know what set him off, but something really triggered him,” detective Greg Stepuk said of the dog.

Stepuk said the animal belongs to Daniel Daviduk Jr., who was staying at the house owned by his sister, Mercadies Daviduk. Their father, Daniel Daviduk Sr., was working on a flooring project in the basement at the time of the incident.

During the attack, the dog caused serious damage to Daviduk Jr.’s foot, and the police report describes blood throughout the house and what they believed to be a piece of human flesh on the kitchen floor.

Stepuk said at some point Daviduk Sr. grabbed a gun owned by his daughter and fired several shots at the dog, likely striking it once in the leg. However, Stepuk said, the dog then turned its attention on him and inflicted several wounds.

When police arrived, they were told that Daviduk Sr. was still in the house, hiding in a room to separate himself from the dog. They found him in a locked room of the basement, and found the gun and its magazine in separate locations. They also found six shell casings upstairs.

After Daviduk Sr. was taken to St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital, police discovered he had two warrants for his arrest. The report states he left the hospital against medical advice before police arrived. Police were told he was walking through the parking lot, but they could not find him.

Daviduk Sr. has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1997. Most were theft charges. Despite his history and outstanding warrants, police do not intend to press charges.

“I know we’ve had our run-ins with him in the past, and he’s under disability for having weapons,” Stepuk said. “But they were being attacked, so I think he had a good reason to do that. There shouldn’t be any charges, because he was defending his family in his daughter’s house.”

Mahoning County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova said she has not been part of any discussions and cannot comment yet about potential charges.

A representative at the Mahoning County Dog Warden said Ohio law requires the dog be placed under a 10-day quarantine while the case is being reviewed, but Stepuk said that given the severity of the attack, he expects the dog will have to be euthanized.

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