Honk News (Long Island, NY) – A Florida man is recalled as the “life of the party” after he was assaulted by a neighbor’s “aggressive” dog and died several days later.
Michael Arthur Fabjon Jr., 49, died on Feb. 9 at Bay Medical Center in Panama City Beach after being “taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries” following a dog attack on Feb. 4, according to NBC affiliate WJHG, citing his obituary.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) reported on Facebook that it was looking into a dog attack on February 4. Deputies eventually detained the owner of the “aggressive dog” for “resisting” them and animal control officials, and the dog owner was charged with resisting officers/obstructing without violence, according to the office.
On Feb. 5, the office recognized Fabjon as the victim and stated that he was in “critical condition at a local hospital” at the time.
WJHG reported earlier this month, citing a BCSO incident report, that Fabjon was outdoors with his dog and talking to a neighbor on Feb. 4 when the neighbor mentioned a fight between Fabjon’s dog and another neighbor’s pit bull, Gunner.
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Gunner reportedly departed the area after the brawl was broken up. According to the site, the dog subsequently reappeared and bit Fabjon in the neck before being summoned back inside by a property resident.
Deputies arrived at the site at 5 p.m. and performed CPR on Fabjon before transporting him to the hospital, according to WJHG.
As Bay County Animal Control attempted to rescue Gunner, the dog’s owner reportedly barricaded himself in his front door before claiming that Fabjon’s own dog attacked him, according to WJHG’s coverage of the event. According to the publication, both dogs had a history, and Gunner was destroyed shortly after the attack.
“The breed of the dog is not of great concern to us, but whether or not the dog or the owner had previously been warned or provided classification that the dog was a dangerous animal,” Chris Coram, head of the BCSO said..
Bay County Animal Control told WJHG that they “determined that the dog was a danger to the animal control officers and the community at large and subsequently euthanized the animal.”