Pit bull kills 2-year-old Virginia boy in Maryland

BRUNSWICK, Md. - Authorities say a two-year-old Virginia boy died after being bitten by a pit bull-mastiff mix at a family gathering in Maryland.

The child's family says the 2-year-old lives in Fauquier County and was in Maryland for a birthday celebration for his grandmother.

The boy had been playing with the dog all day long, and as the family was getting ready to leave, the dog, which belonged to the grandmother, attacked the boy.

The boy’s family told FOX 5 the dog was not provoked, and it’s unclear why exactly it bit the child.

"We don’t know. He just attacked him, so. And the dog is very lovable too, so we just don’t know what happened," said Tammy Crawford, the victim’s aunt.

Police reported the incident happened just before 5:15 p.m. Tuesday in the 400 block of West B Street in the Brunswick area of Frederick County.

Brunswick Police Chief Kevin Grunwell told FOX 5 the department’s thoughts are with the family. Grunwell said he’s checking in on responding officers as well.

"Once they located the child, they could tell he was in distress," Grunwell said. "They were able to talk to him and comfort him while they provided first aid, but just a terrible incident altogether." 

First responders said the boy went into cardiac arrest as they were treating him at the scene. He was transported by medevac to the Frederick Health Hospital where he died shortly after arrival.

"It’s very heartbreaking," Crawford said. "For him to be gone at such a young age he was such a joy to be around. Very lovable kid, loved his mother, they were like glue, them two together. The dog, they was friends. We have no reason … Don’t know why it happened, but we’re just trying to deal with it as best we can."

The dog is currently under a quarantine as the Brunswick Police Department and Frederick County Animal Control are currently conducting a full investigation.

They family has created a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.