Alabama Woman Dead, 2 Others Injured After Dog ‘Went Crazy’ in Sudden Attack

A woman has died and two others were injured after a dog attack in Alabama.

Deputies responded to a report of a dog bite on Macks Way in Oneonta at around 3 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Sept. 23, according to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, per AL.com, WBRC and WVTM 13. Upon arrival, they found a 61-year-old woman, Sandra Wolfe Schaefer, and two others injured.

Officials said a man was looking after the dog for a friend who is currently in the Jefferson County Jail, per WVTM 13. The man had taken a break from working in his shop to walk the dog when the animal suddenly “went crazy” and bit his hands, nearly ripping off his fingers, according to the Sheriff’s Office, per AL.com.

Schaefer and her husband, who were visiting the man, were attacked by the dog as they attempted to pull the animal off his caretaker.

A fourth person then shot and killed the dog, police told PEOPLE.

“A neighbor/family member of the sitter ran over and attempted to shoot the dog to stop the attack but the gun malfunctioned. When the dog disengaged, he was able to shoot the dog which didn’t survive,” Jason Paul, sergeant of public information at Blount County Sheriff’s Office, said in a statement to PEOPLE.

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All three victims were hospitalized with severe injuries. Schaefer later died from her injuries on Friday, Sept. 26, the sheriff’s office added.

Paul noted that the dog had no history of violence before or during its time with the caretaker, the dog tested negative for rabies, and no criminal charges are expected.

There have been at least four other deadly dog attacks in Alabama this year, according to AL.com.

On July 22, a 7-year-old boy was killed in an attack on the property where he lived in Chilton County, and two days later, on July 24, a 50-year-old woman, identified as Delores M. Musgrove, was found dead in Bessemer following a dog attack.

In March, a 6-month-old girl was killed by her family’s pit bull in her Alabaster home. In February, a 46-year-old woman was killed when she was attacked by a pack of dogs at a neighbor’s home in Tuscaloosa County, per WVTM 13.