Verified incident record · 2023-05-09

Marion County deputy Tamieka White killed in Indianapolis dog attack

Officials said White died protecting her 8-year-old son during an attack at their home; the child was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

FatalUnknown / not officially established in sources reviewedIndianapolis, IN

Date2023-05-09 · About 7:45-8:00 p.m. EDT

LocationForsythia Drive residence; exact address not pinned

Victim(s)Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy Tamieka White, 46, killed; her 8-year-old son also bitten

Dogs involvedMultiple dogs present; at least 1 attacking dog

Injury severityFatal (adult); child hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries

Breed attributionUnknown / not officially established in sources reviewedThe police and sheriff-attributed sources reviewed did not provide a reliable official breed identification for the attacking dog. BiteDB leaves breed unknown rather than using advocacy or image-based descriptions.

What the record currently shows

Incident summary

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police responded to an east-side home after reports of an aggressive dog and found Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy Tamieka White fatally injured in the garage area. Her 8-year-old son was also bitten and taken to a trauma hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Officials said White died protecting her son. Police shot an actively aggressive dog, and Animal Care Services removed additional animals from the home.

Legal-status note

Police shot an actively aggressive dog at the scene. Indianapolis Animal Care Services removed three live dogs, one dead dog and a cat, according to local reporting. No criminal charge was established in the sources reviewed.

Media & source coverage

Video, reporting and source material

BiteDB embeds media only when a source-hosted player is suitable for embedding. News photographs and footage remain with their publishers unless reuse rights are clear.

↗Original source mediaCBS News report with local law-enforcement sourcingPublisher-hosted video/reporting; media remains with the source.

Source provenance

Primary record used by BiteDB

Indiana sheriff’s deputy dead, child injured in dog attackNational/local reporting citing Indianapolis Metropolitan Police and Marion County Sheriff’s Office · Published 2023-05-10 · Accessed 2026-08-27

CBS News, citing Indianapolis police, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and local affiliate reporting, reported that Deputy Tamieka White was killed and her 8-year-old son was injured in a dog attack at their Indianapolis home.

Open original source ↗

Additional sources

Remembering Deputy Sheriff Tamieka WhiteIndianapolis Recorder local reporting quoting Marion County Sheriff’s Office · 2023-05-18

Data-quality notes

What BiteDB does not infer

Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.