A Michigan man has been beaten to death after allegedly stepping in to try and stop a neighbor attacking a dog.
The victim was identified by police as 60-year-old Robert 'Bobby' Cavanaugh of Madison Heights.
Police were called to the scene on the 26000 block of Dequindre Road south of E. 11 Mile Road around 7:40 pm on Christmas Eve.
They arrived to find the victim unresponsive on the ground. It was later established that he had suffered from blunt force trauma. He was rushed to hospital after first responders provided emergency care but he sadly later died.
“A life that was cut short and it was brutal," Cavanaugh's sister Jane Thompson said. “Everybody loved Bobby. He was just that kind of guy. He was funny.”
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Witnesses said he died trying to protect a dog from being abused.
Officers investigated the scene which led them to arrest a man they believe was connected to Mr Cavanaugh's death.
"Found Mr. Cavanaugh unresponsive and bleeding," said Madison Heights Police Lt. David Koehler. "The fire department tried life-saving measures, transported him to hospital where he was pronounced deceased."
"There was an altercation of some sort, but we don’t know what led to it," Koehler added. "Our investigation has led to the arrest of someone, but it appeared Cavanaugh had some blunt force trauma which could have potentially caused his death."
“It’s a horrible situation," Cavanaugh's neighbor Rebecca Spencer said.
She added that the victim, who she described as loving animals, was killed after he stepped in to stop another neighbor from beating a dog.
“I believe it was a you’re not going to tell me how to raise my dog," Spencer added.
“The fact that he lost his life over a dog… that’s who he was. He’d run into a burning house to get a guinea pig," Spencer said.
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According to the police there is no threat to the wider community.
The next steps involve the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office determining if the victim’s cause of death and send potential charges to the prosecutor’s office.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and his family during this tragic time,” the Madison Heights Police Department said in a statement.
A fundraiser set up by Jane reads: "My youngest brother Bobby was murdered on Christmas Eve as he rode his bicycle through his neighborhood and tried to save a dog that was being beaten by a man. With no hesitation, Bobby tried to stop that man, but instead, Bobby was beaten to death with a pipe."
The fundraiser has managed to raise over $12,000 at the time of publishing.
