Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the name and age of the victim.
Adams — A bizarre set of circumstances Wednesday led to the death by crossbow of a 27-year-old Adams man who was trying to escape two pitbull dogs when a good Samaritan intervened.
Adams police received multiple 911 calls at approximately 12:09 p.m. for a reported mauling in progress at 19 Bellevue Ave. Responding officers and a K-9 unit found two mature male pitbull dogs, both with a history of being aggressive, engaging in a volatile confrontation. The dogs then turned the attack onto responding officers, the DA’s office said in a statement.
The office of Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington said responding officers “used their service weapons to neutralize the animals” but declined to comment further because “the ballistics portion of this incident remains under investigation.”
After securing the scene, investigators found the body of one adult, Joshua Jadusingh, with a fatal crossbow injury inside the apartment, along with an unharmed child in a nearby room.
Investigators believe a neighbor heard the commotion, called police, and then made entry into the apartment. The neighbor got a crossbow and shot at the dogs. The arrow struck one of the dogs, went through a door, and then struck the individual being mauled as he was attempting to barricade himself from the attack.
The DA’s Office said “early indications are that the death is accidental and the neighbor is cooperating with authorities.”
The State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Service Section, forensic scientists from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, Massachusetts State Police Firearm Identification Section, Adams Animal Control, Adams Police, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office responded to the scene and will perform a full investigation.
The DA’s office also did not release the names of the unharmed child or the neighbor with the crossbow. Harrington reportedly said later today that she did not expect to press charges in the case.
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This story will be updated when more information is received.
