Coroner: Dog killed woman, not ricocheting police bullet

Cameron Knight | Cincinnati Enquirer

When officers arrived in West Price Hill to a reported medical emergency, 42-year-old Della Riley was already dead, officials said.

Police were called to the 1600 block of Dewey Avenue around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

When they opened the door, officers said they were charged by an aggressive dog and forced to shoot and kill it.

One of the bullets fired at the dog ricocheted off the floor and struck Riley's abdomen.

They were left with a complicated scene to unravel with three factors that could have played a role in the death: the reported seizure Riley was suffering, the dog attack and the bullet.

Thursday night, the Hamilton County Coroner released her initial findings.

"The cause of death was due to trauma sustained by the victim who had been viciously mauled by the dog," Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco reported.

Sammarco also said Riley was already dead by the time Cincinnati officers arrived.

Three investigations are continuing into Riley's death. Cincinnati police and the coroner are continuing to investigate the death. The Cincinnati police internal investigations section and the Citizen's Complaint Authority are both conducting investigations into the actions of the officers who responded.

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