BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — A 3-year-old child is in critical condition after they were attacked by two dogs in Brooklyn Park.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department was called to the 7500 block of Brooklyn Park Drive N. and officers found two pit bulls actively attacking the toddler, according to a release.
Multiple officers fired their service hand guns and struck both dogs, killing one and injuring the other.
The child was taken to a hospital in an ambulance and remains in critical condition, according to the department.
The injured dog was taken to a nearby animal care facility.
BPPD detectives are investigating the incident.
Precinct Inspector Elliot Faust called the attack "horrific" and said officers were very emotional about the situation, given that many of them also have young children. He credited the officers for saving the child's life by intervening in the attack.
"Those officers were heroes. That child would not even be in the hospital right now if the officers hadn't done what they did," Faust said. "There's not a whole lot of time to react and not a whole lot of alternatives that can mitigate that attack, and the risk of injury in that moment."
Faust said an adult woman was also injured in the incident while trying to stop the attack.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.