First Nation mourns 5-year-old boy killed in dog attack in northern Alberta

A First Nation in northern Alberta is mourning the dying of a five-year-old boy who was killed by his household’s canines on Sunday.

The kid died after being attacked by his household’s canines on Whitefish Lake First Nation on Sunday, Const. Kelsey Davidge mentioned Thursday.

“He did die from a canine assault/mauling,” she mentioned. “They had been family-owned pets. There isn’t any public security issues or different issues to the general public.” 

Davidge mentioned the household killed the canines themselves following the assault. She was unable to say what number of canines had been concerned within the assault.

She mentioned RCMP are nonetheless investigating the dying and no expenses have been laid. 

In a message Thursday, the boy’s mom mentioned that her son was a cheerful boy, who touched lots of people’s hearts. CBC will not be naming the kid as a result of he was receiving youngster intervention providers from the province.

“My son was solely five-years-old and had a complete life forward of him,” the mom wrote. “I can nonetheless hear his voice in my head, saying how a lot he loves and misses me.”

She mentioned she’s can nonetheless hear his voice as he instructed her about his day at college. 

The little boy attended the group faculty on Whitefish Lake First Nation, Chief Albert Thunder mentioned in an interview. The group is about 400 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. 

Thunder mentioned his complete group is heartbroken, and is working to help the boy’s members of the family who he lived with.

He mentioned it’s exhausting to imagine one thing like this might occur. 

“A small group, actually tight-knit group, nearly everyone is interrelated and so these sort of devastations that occur – it actually impacts the entire group,” Thunder mentioned.

Thunder mentioned the group held a prayer assembly to mourn  the little boy’s dying and the dying of one other group member who died final weekend. He mentioned it’s an extremely tough time, however that group members are holding one another up.

“We pray collectively, we’re united particularly when issues like this occur,” he mentioned.

Thunder added that his group has a domestically organized and funded disaster response crew that has been crucial in getting help to the household far more shortly than what outdoors companies are capable of supply.

In an emailed assertion, a spokesperson for Kids’s Companies Minister Mickey Amery mentioned that due to privateness legislation, the ministry is restricted in its capability to supply any info that might determine a selected youngster.

“There isn’t any larger tragedy than the dying of a kid, and our hearts exit to all of the family members grieving the lack of any youngster,”  press secretary Chinenye Anokwuru mentioned.

She added that at any time when a toddler in care dies or is critically injured, it’s publicly reported and a “rigorous examination” of the circumstances is undertaken.