Girl, 9, killed in Long Island backyard pit bull attack

ELMONT, N.Y. -- A 9-year-old girl has died after being attacked by a pit bull while playing in the backyard of a Long Island home, police say.

At around 10:30 a.m., three police officers responded to a 911 call at a home in Elmont, CBS New York reports. They saw the male pitbull attacking the girl in the backyard, cops said. One of the officers entered the yard by going through the house.

The girl was playing in the yard with two other children when the dog suddenly mauled her. The woman who lives on the ground floor tried to stop the dog, but couldn't.

When the officer entered the yard, the dog charged toward her, police said. She fired several rounds, killing the dog.

"We don't know what reason there is, but the dog then turned his anger...it was actually a violent attack on the girl," Nassau County Police detective Michael Bitsko said.

Two other officers on the scene rushed to the aid of the girl. The victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. She was pronounced dead by Franklin Hospital personnel at 1:42 p.m., according to police.

The police officer was treated but was not bitten by the dog.

Carlyle Arnold, 29, the owner of the dog, was arrested at the scene for an unrelated charge of Violation of Order of Protection, according to police.

Police said there is no criminality in regard to the attack.

Residents on the street all used the same word to describe the attack: "It's horrible."

Neighbors described the dog as otherwise gentle.