RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — An 88-year-old Richmond woman has died after being attacked by her neighbor’s dog earlier this week.
The deadly attack happened along Alaska Drive in South Richmond just before 7 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 7. First responders rushed to the scene and found the victim, now identified as 88-year-old Evangeline Brooks, down with life-threatening injuries.
Her neighbor, Roxanne Tune, said that every morning, Brooks would walk down the street to check her sister’s mail. Tune described the horrific turn of events in an interview with 8News.
“A truck pulled up and a man was saying ‘The dog bit her, the dog bit her.’ I said ‘bit her where?’ He said ‘in the neck,'” Tune said. “I took off running down there and I saw her laying there and the dog’s owner was holding her and I said ‘is she breathing?'”
Brooks was taken to the hospital, but according to her son, Howvard Brooks, she was already brain-dead. He made the difficult decision to take her off life support on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
“My mother went 30 minutes without breathing when they were working on her,” Brooks said. “They said she would not come out of the coma that she was in.”
Brooks said a day later, he was still in shock. Holding a picture of his mother, he described her as “wonderful” and “loving.”
“She was a school teacher for many years at AM Davis…she impacted a lot of lives.”
He added that she volunteered in the community and was a longtime member of First Baptist Church South Richmond.
Pastor Dwight C. Jones remembered her a strong member of the congregation.
“She was one of the mothers of our church and we mourn her loss,” Jones said. “We are just so sad that she would lose her life in that way, but we want to take a moment to remember her and thank God for a wonderful woman. A pillar in the church, Sunday school teacher, choir member, a deacon, a mentor, a person who was so well thought of by so many. She was indeed the salt of earth and one in a million.”
According to Richmond police, the dog was surrendered into Richmond Animal Care and Control custody directly after the attack and was immediately euthanized.
It’s unclear if charges will be filed as the investigation is ongoing.
In the meantime, Brooks’ family and neighbors are honoring her memory, and trying to process this tragedy.
“We lost one of our closest neighbors, so the neighborhood will never be the same,” Tune said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Major Crimes Detective Sergeant J. Flores at (804) 646-667.
