WASHINGTON PARK, IL — A man died after being attacked by multiple dogs in Washington Park, and residents say the fatal mauling unfolded against a backdrop of long-running problems with stray animals in the village.
Police were called Thursday night to the 2100 block of North 49th Street after a report of a man bitten by a dog. When officers arrived at 10:44 p.m., they found an adult male with severe injuries. Emergency medical personnel responded, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. later identified the victim as James L. Gibson, 68, of East St. Louis.
Residents say loose dogs have been a long-standing fear
Former Mayor Leonard Moore said roaming dogs have been a persistent issue in Washington Park for years, with animals sometimes appearing alone and sometimes in packs. He said people from outside the village often dump unwanted dogs there.
Moore, who served from 2021 to 2025, said the small municipality cannot afford to employ an animal control officer. He said that concern was especially intense near Avant Elementary School, which sits across from Village Hall.
He said he would sometimes go to work early in the morning so he could watch over children walking to school. Moore described the fatal attack as heartbreaking and said he had long feared that a stray dog would seriously hurt someone in the neighborhood.
Neighbors say Gibson fed dogs at a vacant house on the block
Neighbors Marion and Fred Harris said Gibson did not live in the neighborhood but came there daily to feed dogs kept at a vacant house. They said the property belongs to a man who also owns several other rental homes on the block.
Fred Harris said the dogs were pit bulls, including a female that had given birth to three litters of puppies, some of which were later sold. The Harrises said they believe those are the dogs that killed Gibson, but they did not witness the attack and cannot say for certain.
Marion Harris said the family had seen the situation improve this summer after a cage was built for the dogs behind the vacant house. Even so, she said the death was shocking and worried her because children live nearby.
Witnesses describe dogs that scared people walking alone
Fred Harris said the dogs had roamed the neighborhood for years and often frightened people. He said they usually left groups alone, but would come after a person who was by themselves.
He added that his family had adjusted daily routines around the animals, including having his son stay in the yard while he mowed the grass to keep him safe. That kind of caution, neighbors said, had become part of life on the block.
Another neighbor told KSDK-TV that dogs connected to a landlord with several properties on the street attacked Gibson. She also said three of the dogs came after her a few hours earlier on Thursday as she tried to get into her home.
Officials have not said who owned the dogs or whether they were caught
It is still unclear who owned the dogs involved in the attack or whether any of them have been captured. Washington Park Chief Tony Tomlinson said in a Friday news release that the man died after being attacked by multiple dogs, but he could not be reached for additional comment.
Mayor Ann Rodgers said Saturday that she would call the Belleville News-Democrat with an update, but no additional information was immediately provided. Calls to the police department were not returned.
St. Clair County Animal Services Director Ashley Jett said her agency had not received an incident report from police and did not have the dogs in custody.
Animal control says unknown dogs are usually quarantined before a final decision
Jett said the usual procedure in cases involving an unknown owner is to capture the dogs, hold them in quarantine for 10 days, and then euthanize them. If an owner is identified, a judge’s order is required before those steps can happen.
The attack was the second fatal dog mauling in St. Clair County in recent memory, according to Jett. She said the only other one in her 19-year tenure came in May 2025, when three pit bull terriers killed 67-year-old Kent P. Recklein of Caseyville.
For Washington Park residents, the case has renewed concern about what can happen when loose dogs are left unchecked. Neighbors said the problem has affected safety on their streets for years, and the death of Gibson has made that fear impossible to ignore.
