A man arrested in connection with the death of Ian Price, who was killed after an attack by two dogs in Staffordshire, has been released on conditional bail.
Price, who was 52, died in hospital after being attacked in Stonnall, near Walsall, shortly after 3pm on Thursday. A 30-year-old man was detained on suspicion of manslaughter and being in charge of dogs dangerously out of control.
Staffordshire police said: “The 30-year-old, from the Lichfield area, has been interviewed a number of times and has been released pending further inquiries. Our investigation continues at pace as we try to understand more about events leading up to this horrendous attack.”
Officers said DNA testing was still needed to confirm the breed of the dogs, but expert examination so far indicated they were XL bullies. They added that one of the dogs died after being restrained and the other died after being injected by a vet.
The force previously said officers had been in touch with the dog owner twice this year, prompted by reports from concerned members of the public.
It said its professional standards department had reviewed body-worn video of the fatal incident and the previous reports relating to both dogs and concluded there would be no referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The police received a report on 14 January saying two XL bully dogs were off their leads in a field in Stonnall. Officers went to the owner’s address and gave words of advice about keeping the dogs under control in public. The owner was cooperative and both dogs were in the address at the time and appeared to be calm, police said.
They did not show any signs of aggression towards officers, a police spokesperson has said. The dog owner was spoken to by officers about ensuring the animal was under control at all times after a 30 March report said two XL bullies had mounted another dog in Stonnall. The force said no injuries were caused, no complaints were made and no offences identified.
Price’s death prompted a pledge by Rishi Sunak to ban the American XL bully dog breed by the end of the year. It came amid a series of incidents involving the breed in recent days.
