VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man fatally shot his family’s pet pit bull after it attacked his teenage stepson, authorities said.

The attack occurred Friday at a Vero Beach home, Treasure Coast Newspapers reported.

Jonluke Fell, 26, told an Indian River County deputy that his dog started to fight his other pit bull, according to a sheriff’s office incident report. When Fell’s 15-year-old stepson tried to break up the dogs, he was bitten on the right arm.

The dog wouldn’t release the boy, so Fell said he hit his dog and poured water in its mouth in an attempt to free the teen. After hitting the pit bull proved unsuccessful, Fell shot and killed the dog. The dog’s jaws remained clamped on the boy’s arm, so Fell and his wife pulled the animal’s mouth open, according to the report. Fell then drove the teen to a nearby hospital.

A deputy met Fell at a Sebastian hospital and confirmed that the dog’s immunization records were registered with the county. The deputy determined that no crime had occurred as the parents were concerned for their child’s safety.

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