Toddler bitten by pit bulls in Brooklyn Park not expected to survive, according to family

A 3-year-old boy from Champlin who was attacked by two pit bulls last week in a Brooklyn Park home’s backyard is not expected to survive, according to the family.

Natasha Palacios Vega and Charles Allen, parents of Covil Allen, are preparing their son to be an organ donor, according to an online fundraising campaign begun to help the family cope with expenses related to the July 19 incident in the 7500 block of N. Brooklyn Park Drive.

Officers arrived, saw the pit bulls attacking Covil and shot both dogs, according to police. One dog was killed and the other was injured and taken to a veterinary hospital, where it was put down shortly afterward.

Officers gave medical attention to Covil before an ambulance took him to a hospital, police said. A fundraiser posting said that Palacios Vega was bitten on the leg and has had several surgeries.

The posting said the boy’s donated organs “will save more children’s lives in hopes that no other parent has to endure the pain that they are experiencing right now.”

Brooklyn Park police Inspector Elliot Faust said Thursday, “Our detectives are currently investigating the case and will be presenting it to a charging authority in the near future for their review.” Faust said the same is true for another dog bite incident in the city this week.

Faust said larger conversations are underway with city leaders and elected officials about the issue.

“It’s a problem in our community,” he said. “We had more potentially dangerous dogs this year than we did last year.”

On Tuesday, a 7-year-old girl was attacked around 4:40 p.m. in the 7500 block of N. Janelle Avenue, police said. The girl suffered superficial injuries, according to police. Officers killed the dog when it then tried to attack a boy, police said.

Officials said the dog was loose when it attacked the girl.

Star Tribune staff writer Kyeland Jackson contributed to this story.