Police/media-reported incident record · 2026-06-30

Teen hospitalized after dog latched onto his arm during Akron visit

Akron police said a 14-year-old visitor was attacked by a dog on Packard Drive and treated at a hospital; gunfire during the attack fatally wounded the dog’s teenage owner, a death BiteDB does not count as a dog-attack fatality.

Nonfatal · 1 bite victimBreed: Cane CorsoAkron, OH

Date2026-06-30 · About 7:20–7:30 p.m. EDT

Location1200 block of Packard Drive; published block-level location, map point approximate

Victim(s)1 teenage boy, age 14

Dogs involved1 dog

Injury severityNonfatal dog-bite injury; dog latched onto the 14-year-old boy’s left arm and he was transported to Akron Children’s Hospital for treatment

Breed attributionCane CorsoA family member of 15-year-old Josiah Harris described the dog as a Cane Corso in Akron Beacon Journal reporting. Akron police reports quoted by multiple outlets established the dog attack but did not identify breed. BiteDB records the family-reported breed attribution rather than treating it as independently verified.

What the record currently shows

Incident summary

Akron police said a 14-year-old boy went to visit 15-year-old Josiah Harris on Packard Drive when Harris’s dog ran toward the visitor and attacked, latching onto his left arm. Police said the 14-year-old drew a gun and fired multiple times during the attack, striking the dog and Harris, who was trying to pull the dog away. The 14-year-old was treated at Akron Children’s Hospital for injuries from the dog attack. Harris died from a gunshot wound; BiteDB does not classify that firearm death as a dog-attack fatality.

Legal-status note

Akron police later said the 14-year-old was charged with negligent homicide, carrying concealed weapons, improperly discharging a firearm and tampering with evidence in connection with Josiah Harris’s shooting death. Those are charging allegations, not findings of guilt. BiteDB records the separate dog-bite event without assigning criminal responsibility for the bite.

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 reportingThe BayNet — Waldorf dog-attack reportPublisher-hosted report; photographs and media remain with the publisher.

Source provenance

Primary record used by BiteDB

Akron 14-year-old charged after 15-year-old shot and killed during dog attackCleveland 19 / WOIO local reporting citing Akron police and Summit County Medical Examiner · Published 2026-07-09 · Accessed 2026-09-05

Cleveland 19, citing Akron police and the Summit County Medical Examiner, reported that on June 30 a 14-year-old visiting Josiah Harris was attacked by Harris’s dog, which latched onto his left arm. The teen fired during the attack, striking the dog and Harris. The 14-year-old was hospitalized for dog-attack injuries. A later Akron Beacon Journal report identified the dog as a Cane Corso based on a family member’s account.

Open original source ↗

Additional sources

14-year-old faces 4 charges in shooting death of Josiah Harris — Akron Beacon Journal report republished by AOL; family breed attribution and shooting context · 2026-07-09
15-year-old Akron boy shot and killed during dog attack, family calls for change — Cleveland 19 initial report quoting police/medical examiner · 2026-07-01

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.