A man shot and fatally wounded his own dog in a town park in Hamden, New Haven County over fears it may attack some children.

Pit Bull Attacked Another Dog

The man told Connecticut police that he shot his own pit bull in the park on Sunday because he thought it was going to attack three children. Capt. Ronald Smith said that the police officers responded to the area after getting a report of shots fired.

He said that the man told the police officers the canine, which was not on a leash at the time, attacked and seriously injured another dog that was on a leash. The owner of that dog was with his three children when the incident happened.

The man, who was not immediately identified, said that he was worried his dog might attack the children, so he pulled out his handgun and shot the animal.

"He subsequently 'pulled his legally licensed .22 handgun' and shot his dog, killing it," Smith said.

The incident is still under investigation.

Pit Bull Attacks

The man's fear that his dog might attack the children is not unfounded. There have been several instances of pit bulls attacking humans.

In November, a 5-day-old baby in Dunnellon, Florida died after she had been attacked by the family's dog. The pit bull reportedly jumped onto a bed next to the child's crib before attacking the baby.

Several children in Oklahoma were also injured last month after they were attacked by a pit bull that became loose on the playground of an elementary school.

Another pit bull attack that occurred in November had New Jersey police shooting the dog.

The dog allegedly attacked a 17-year-old boy as it was being taken out by its owner. The owner pulled on the dog's leash to get him away from the teenager but the canine turned to her instead, injuring her and leaving her with more than 100 stitches.

Authorities who arrived at the scene shot the dog when it became aggressive toward them.