After neighbors in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, about 30 miles east of Kansas City, complained about an idling Amazon truck parked for hours on their street, police on Monday night, October 24, found an Amazon delivery driver, around 50-years-old, dead in front of a house on a fenced-in front lawn, presumably the victim of mauling by the home’s two guard dogs.
Police were called to a home by the neighbors that said that the truck’s engine had been running for hours and the lights were on, which was very unusual.
When officers arrived, they found the driver dead next to two dogs. Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers said, “We can tell by looking at the victim’s body he had a ton of trauma that would be consistent with canine bites all over his body.” The driver had apparently entered the fenced-in yard and delivered the package at the unoccupied home, at which point he was mauled by the two dogs, a German Shepherd and a mastiff.
When the officers approached, the dogs started growling and appeared ready to attack. When the officer tried to subdue the dogs, one of them became more aggressive and the officer had to shoot it.
The wounded dog and the second dog both ran inside the house, and the deputies decided to follow. Sheriff Childers said he made the decision to follow the dogs, and when the dogs tried to attack them, the officers shot and killed both dogs.
Sheriff Childers said the owners of the dogs were away from home, but neglect of the dogs was not suspected.
The identity of the Amazon driver has not been made public.
The Missouri incident is the second fatal attack on a package delivery driver since August of this year.
The US Postal Service reports that 5,400 employees were attacked by dogs in 2021.
Five dogs maimed a Florida postal worker after her vehicle broke down en route.
The day after the attack, Amazon tweeted a statement to its employees: “We want to help ensure you aren’t surprised by our four-legged customers when on-route, so be sure to check the Amazon Delivery App for the paw print icon in the ‘delivery notes,’ indicating you should ‘be aware of a dog at this stop.’ If we know Fido is nearby, we’ll add the paw print to give you a heads-up.”
Many social media users and Amazon workers were offended by the light-hearted tone of the Amazon tweet. The tone seemed very much in contrast to the tragedy and risks that the tweet seemed to be addressing.
