Neighbor shoots dogs after attacking MLGW employee

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – An MLGW employee was attacked by a dog while searching for a broken meter, leading to a shooting in a resident’s backyard, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Around 8 a.m. Saturday, officers responded to a home in the 4200 block of Hickory Run Place where a light, gas and water worker from Memphis was reportedly bitten by a bull mastiff. The worker reportedly suffered severe cuts as a result of the attack.

According to police, the man sped off with the gun during a traffic stop

Neighbor John Laiche said he was in his house next door when he heard someone screaming for help.

Laiche said he saw the MLGW employee pull into the home’s driveway and observed the employee talking to the homeowner, who he said grabbed the dogs and put them inside.

“Thirty seconds later it was just terrible,” he said. “We could only hear so much because we were over on our farms and it’s one of those things that you process, how did this happen? The dogs are inside. There was no way the dogs could escape out the back door knowing someone was there.”

Laiche said when he heard the screams, he grabbed his gun and went into his neighbor’s backyard.

“I fired a shot into the ground and moved on. That’s when I saw one of the dogs coming towards me and I shot him,” he said. “At that point the dogs were the threat and it was just a really bad situation trying to figure out where the MLGW guy was and the dog approached me again and I fired a second shot and at that point the MLGW guy came out house.”

Laiche said that even though they shot at the dogs, they continued to run at the employee.

“He just kept saying, ‘Why did they let those dogs in the back yard?’ Why should they do this? I don’t understand why they would let these dogs out. He said, ‘The back door opened and they ran towards me,'” Laiche said.

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The dog’s owner told investigators that he continued to try to secure his dogs as they walked past him into the backyard where the MLGW employee was working.

SCSO says that following the incident, the two bull mastiffs were eventually secured inside the home by the homeowner and the MLGW worker was transported to Baptist East in stable condition.

Laiche says many people in the neighborhood have been afraid of the dogs for months and are concerned about the safety of their children and pets.

“Everyone lives in fear and we want the dogs gone,” Laiche said.

When we tried to talk to the dog’s owner, no one came to the door. It is not known whether the dogs were hit by gunfire.

The homeowner was charged with a violation of Sec. accused by the district ordinance. 4-105. – Dogs not classified as dangerous/vicious.

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