A man armed with a crossbow accidentally killed his neighbour while trying to ward off a dog attack, according to Massachusetts prosecutors.
Police responded to several 911 calls on Wednesday to find two pitbulls "engaging in a volatile confrontation" in an apartment building in Adams, Massachusetts. The officers killed the animals, then discovered the body of man with a fatal crossbow bolt injury inside the building.
Officers also found an unharmed child in a nearby room.
Investigators with the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office believe a neighbour heard the dogs attacking the man, then grabbed a crossbow and shot at the dogs. A bolt struck one of the animals, then pierced through a door and hit the man on the other side, where he was barricading himself from the attacks, prosecutors say.
The victim's identity has not been released, pending an exam from the Chief Medical Examiner's Office and notification of his next of kin.
District Attorney Andrea Harrington's office determined that his death was accidental. The neighbour who fired the crossbow, described by authorities as a "good Samaritan", is cooperating with police.
On Wednesday, state and local police blocked off Bellevue Avenue at Glenn Street in Adams while investigating the killings.
The police-involved shooting is being investigated by the state police, Adams Animal Control, Adams Police and the district attorney's office.
