A shelter worker was mauled to death by two rescue animals saved from a dog-fighting ring.
Clifford Phillips Jr., 57, died this month at Second Chance Animal Alliance in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, during the attack, according to WREG.
“A dog was already in a pen and he was trying to put another dog in there and the other dog tried to run out, and he tried to hold him off with his foot and that dog grabbed his leg, pulled him down. And then the other dog jumped in with him. One of them was a pit, and the other was a pit mixed breed, and they killed him. They got it all on tape down there,” friend Dudley Woods told the outlet.
The two dogs that attacked were at the shelter after being taken in a court-ordered seizure in an investigation into abuse and dog fighting, Yalobusha County Sheriff Jermain Gooch told the North Mississippi Herald.
Police who responded to the scene had to shoot one dog dead to reach Phillips. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other dog was euthanized.
Phillips had worked at the shelter for two years, according to WREG.
“His quiet and caring demeanor helped him foster a love for animals and he remarked that he often felt more comfortable around his pets than around people, perhaps recalling the time he spent with Eon, his beloved childhood dog,” his obituary read.
He had also worked at a bakery and a Piggy Wiggly in recent years, according to the obituary.
Phillips loved watching social media videos – including seeing people’s reactions to old TV shows and movies when being shown them for the first time. The 57-year-old was a regular attendee at Sylva Rena Baptist Church, his obituary stated.
“Quiet, caring, and unassuming, Cliff never met a stranger. He loved people. Cliff enjoyed meeting people and swapping stories about their past experiences and sharing details of his own,” the obituary stated. “He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.”
It’s unclear what led the dogs to launch into their attack. The shelter released a statement in the wake of Phillips’ death.
“It has been one week since the death at the shelter of our friend and employee Cliff Phillips,” it read. “Alongside his family and many friends, we are devastated by this loss. While we cannot address every question or rumor we have seen over this past week, we have cooperated with local officials.
“Please know that we take the safety and security of our volunteers and employees seriously. We are proud of the work we do in our community and will remain vigilant as we continue to do it.”
The victim’s older brother, Charles, told WREG that his brother loved animals but he wondered if more could have been done.
“I went out and picked his vehicle up and his last paycheck, but she said, ‘I’m sorry I have no words for it,’ but she said, ‘I’m so sorry for your loss and everything,’” Phillips told the station.
“They’ve always done good. They’ve took a lot of strays and puppies and stuff from around here and they’ve always done good with that.”
