Father dies days after being attacked by dogs on his way home from shopping for a job interview

Around $60,000 has been raised for the family of a Detroit father of six who died on Friday after he was “mauled viciously” by three dogs on January 29. According to CBS News, Harold Phillips’ family announced his passing on the GoFundMe page.

The attack is said to have occurred close to the corner of Longacre Street and W. Chicago Road. The dogs mauled Phillips as he was making his way home from a bus stop. The deceased father’s family said his right hand had to be amputated in the wake of the attack. 

“It’s with deep sadness that I announce Harold’s passing. It’s painful to think of all the important milestones Harold will miss in our children’s lives, from our son’s first basketball game this weekend to our daughter’s upcoming daddy-daughter dance that he was looking forward to,” Phillips’ wife, Shauntaye Phillips, said.

“Our lives will never be the same. We are forever grateful for our community’s prayers, donations and support you’ve given our family.”

City officials said an encounter of such nature wouldn’t have occurred if the owner of the dogs abided by the city’s ordinance and secured the dogs, CBS News previously reported. The three dogs have since been put down, while their owner was slapped with fines amounting to $5,000. 

“It’s heartbreaking,” Crystal Perkins, the executive director of General Services with the City of Detroit, said in the wake of the attack. “They have to make sure the yard is secure.”

Besides making sure that they are secured, Perkins also said the ordinance allows only two dogs per household. But the owners whose dogs mauled Phillips had four.

“The ordinance was changed just a few years ago to limit the number of docs that a residence can have to Two, and of course, and this particular household had more than the two that the ordinance has limited the ownership,” Perkins explained.

Phillips’ family on Thursday announced they’ll be filing a lawsuit against the city of Detroit and the owner of the dogs.