A 5-year-old boy whose family's home was destroyed during last month's tornado in Oklahoma was killed by a bull mastiff over the weekend. The dog belonged to a family friend, who the boy had been staying with since the tornado.

According to KTHV in Arkansas, the boy was staying with family friends in Jessieville, Arkansas. On Saturday, the boy refused to put on his shoes and threw a tantrum; at that point, the family's bull mastiff charged in from another room and attacked the boy, latching on to him.

"The dog possibly attacked because he felt threatened," Deputy Scott Hinojosa told KTHV.

A family friend attempted to pull the dog away, but was unsuccessful. Eventually, her husband helped pry the dog from the boy. The husband then rushed the boy to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The dog escaped for nearly two days; he was found and put down Monday afternoon by a friend of the family. The boy had been staying with the family while his parents remained in Oklahoma, where their home was destroyed last month.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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