LONGVIEW, Texas — Longview police responded to a call for a bike in the road near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Rayburn Drive, near Bel's Diner on Thursday morning.
When police arrived on scene they found a bike and a deceased man, showing wounds consistent with a dog bite.
"It’s usually quiet, peaceful going tight-knit community. Everybody looks out for each other," Bel's Diner chef Keri Davis said.
Davis has worked at Bel's for many years, and says he's had a hard time dealing with what has happened. He's especially concerned because the attack happened on a street that typically sees lots of foot traffic.
"And like a lot of people use this street to exercise. I’m one of them. I run up and down this street, a lot of people walk, all different types of ages. So you know you don’t want that to happen. And then we’ve got a lot of school-age kids that walk to school in the morning time also," Davis said.
Other people in this community said these dogs have been an issue for some time now, and there’s a lot of frustration mounting as they ask "why wasn’t something done sooner?"
"Had this happened in Wildwood, with this many complaints against those animals, it would not have gotten to this point. If this had happened in Spring Hill, it would not have gotten to this point. But when it comes to certain neighborhoods, it’s almost like they don’t care. Or people don’t really give a hoot about us," said Branden Johnson, Longview NAACP former president and community member.
Johnson said the dogs and their owner have been an issue in the community for about six months now.
Johnson recalls of six separate occasions when the police were called on the dogs, and he even says that two of his personal friends have been attacked by them.
He adds that more needs to be done to protect everyone in the community.
"At least if not fairly and equally, with equity. And when there’s something going on, everybody gets treated how they’re supposed to be treated. And there’s no difference or indifference," Johnson said.