A 19-year-old woman was savaged to death by an XL Bully while staying at her cousin’s flat in Bristol.
Emergency services were called to the first floor flat where the dog pounced on the young woman killing her within seconds.
Her cousin, named locally as Kelcie Jones, was seen covered in blood outside the flat.
By that time police had stunned the XL Bully and taken it to a vet where it was put down.
Neighbours said they saw Ms Jones dressed in pyjamas and a white dressing gown screaming: ‘They killed my dog, they killed my dog.’
Ms Jones and her partner moved into the top floor flat in Cobhorn Drive, Hartcliffe, only three weeks ago.
She told neighbours she ‘had papers’ for the large grey adult XL Bully which was not seen muzzled.
A neighbour said: ‘They would take it into the garden every day to do its business but I never saw it being walked. A dog like that needs exercise.
Kelcie Jones (pictured) is the owner of the XL Bully (not the dog in this photo) that killed her 19-year old cousin; the dog seen in this picture, named Remi, died in November 2024 aged three
Avon and Somerset Police were called to the scene at 7.19pm on February 26 after receiving a report from the ambulance service; neighbours saw Ms Jones here covered in blood after the attack
Flowers were left outside the property in Cobhorn Drive, Bristol, after the fatal dog attack left Ms Jones’ 19-year-old cousin dead
‘The young woman said she had papers for it, we took her on her word but she didn’t show them to us or anything.’
Jones’s cousin came to stay earlier this week and the two women were seen going back and for in a black saloon car.
A neighbour said: ‘We got talking, I have a little Shitzu and she told me about her XL Bully. She said: ‘I’ve got the papers and everything.
‘It was 7.26pm last night when all hell broke loose. Kelcie came out of her flat, she was trying to scream, cry and ask for help all at the same time.
‘I went to her and asked if she was all right but she couldn’t get words out.
‘She had blood on her, I don’t know if that was from trying to stop the dog from doing the attack. It was not a small amount of blood.’
The neighbour said police, paramedics and forensic officers were at the scene throughout the night.
She added: ‘At about 11pm they brought the dog out. It was quiet, people said it had been shot but we didn’t hear a gunshot.
Police rushed to the scene following reports of the attack inside a flat in Cobhorn Drive, where Ms Jones’ cousin was attacked and killed by the XL Bully
The dog involved has been put down, neighbourhood inspector Terry Murphy confirmed; however Ms Jones claimed they killed the dog at the scene, according to neighbours
Inspector Murphy spoke to the media on Cobhorn Drive near the scene
‘I saw the dog and it wasn’t dead. They took it to the vets. I’m guessing it was put down there
‘It was definitely an XL, I’m sure she told me its name but I can’t remember. I feel sorry for Kelcie, the dog didn’t jump up and bark.
‘She did say it wasn’t good with men but with children and women it was fine.
‘I feel for Kelcie so much, it wasn’t her fault and also it was her pet. I just feel it was one of those freak accidents.
‘She would bring it out every day and take it into the garden. It would go to the toilet and then she’d take it back in.
‘I’m still trying to process what’s happened. I’m shocked, I can’t believe what’s happened. I’ve been up all night.’
The teenager’s body was taken out of the flat at 1am and put into an ambulance and taken to hospital where a post mortem examination will be carried out.
Police were at the property all night and at one point a man and his dog turned up to accuse them of animal cruelty shouting ‘it’s a disgrace’. He was warned he would be arrested if he continued his protest.
An elderly neighbour said: ‘A woman was running up and down the road screaming and shouting for hours. She was in her pyjamas and a dressing gown.
‘It’s a council flat, the new tenants had only been there a few weeks.’
The road was closed while police and forensic officers examined the scene of the two bedroomed flat. Three bunches of flowers were laid at the garden gate today.
Hotel worker Nicola Harrison, 58, who lives in the street, said: ‘The woman was covered in blood, it was all down her legs. She was going on about her dog.
‘I didn’t realise someone had been killed. There was constant screaming until 10.30. It was terrible.
‘It’s a scream I will not forget – she was sat on my steps screaming. One of the neighbours took her in. I can still hear her screams.
‘I just thought a dog had been attacked. I was wondering why there were all these police here. Then I found out a girl had died.’
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BREAKING NEWS Shocked neighbours heard screaming during ‘XL Bully’ attack that killed 19-year-old woman
Avon and Somerset Police inspector Terry Murphy said: ‘As part of this work, Cobhorn Drive was closed last night and I thank everyone for their patience and understanding about our need to do this,’ said Inspector Murphy.
‘There will be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days, including neighbourhood officers, and if you have any concerns please do speak to them.’
A police spokesperson added: ‘[The dog] was sedated and taken away and it has been put down on the grounds of public safety. It was not done at the scene.’
A man and a woman both aged in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death and possession of a prohibited breed of dog.
Ms Jones was also the owner of a dog named Remi, who died aged three in November 2024.