Dog shot and killed by police after three adults attacked in Burlington

A dog was shot dead by police Tuesday after three people were attacked in Burlington.

Halton Regional Police said officers responded to the incident shortly after 3:30 p.m. at a home backyard in the Cumberland Avenue and Fairview Street area.

Police said the canine attacked three adults, two of them the dog's caretakers, and a neighbour who went to the scene in assistance," police said.

Two people were transported to a nearby hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. The third adult was wounded with minor injuries.

A media spokesperson for Halton police told the Star that officers first tried to contain the canine with the use force and then by using energy shock with a taser.

They (officers) did try to use a less lethal option but that was ineffective. And ultimately the officers had to use force with their service pistols," the media spokesperson added.

The dog was described as aggressive and resembled the breed of a pit bull.

Santiago Arias Orozco is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @SantiagoAriasO6