Three dogs killed a man in Katy, police say. Their owners could face felony charges | Houston Public Media

Three dogs attacked and killed a 62-year-old man in Katy on Monday, authorities said. Their owners could face up to 20 years in prison under Texas law.

The victim, identified as Chhay Leang by the Harris County medical examiner on Tuesday afternoon, was reportedly visiting the Mason Creek Hike and Bike Trail around 9 a.m. Monday when he was attacked and killed by three dogs, according to police investigators. Another parkgoer saw the attack and called law enforcement, which found Leang’s body.

Another woman and her 3-year-old-child were attacked by the dogs soon after, in a nearby neighborhood, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. The woman was bitten by a dog, and both were reportedly in stable condition after being taken to the hospital.

“Right now, homicide detectives are interviewing the owners of the dogs, trying to determine exactly how they escaped from the yard,” Sgt. Jason Brown, a homicide investigator with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, said during a Monday news conference. “As of right now, we don’t have any information in regards to any kind of previous incidents. Animal control doesn’t have any type of history on these dogs.”

The three dogs allegedly behind the attacks were found by investigators. Brown said two were taken in by animal control while the third, which had fled into a drainage pipe, was euthanized by animal control.

In a statement Tuesday, the Harris County Public Health’s Veterinary Public Health Division said it has “three live dogs” in custody under rabies observation in connection with the Katy man’s death. Two of the dogs appear to be pit bull mixes, and the third a Cane Corso, a type of mastiff, according to the public health department.

It was not immediately clear Tuesday how many dogs, in total, were involved in the incident. The county public health department declined to comment further, and the sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for clarity.

As of Tuesday, a spokesperson with the sheriff’s office said the investigation is continuing, interviewing witnesses and watching home-security videos to establish a timeline. The office declined to release the names of the dog owners because no criminal charges had been filed.

Texas’ state laws criminalize attacks and deaths by dogs when the owner “fails to secure the dog and the dog makes an unprovoked attack on another person” away from the owners’ property.

“We’ve seen that through Texas in some cases,” said Adam Loewy, a personal injury attorney. “It’s obviously not that common, thankfully, these things don’t happen every day. But from a criminal perspective, yes, that is a violation of criminal law. If your dog kills someone from a civil perspective, obviously there’s — without question — a case. The estate can sue.”

A dog attack is a third-degree felony, unless the victim dies, at which point it becomes a second-degree felony. In Texas, second-degree felonies carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and fine up to $10,000.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Dec. 16 to include the identity of the deceased victim.