At a Glance
- Court
- Baltimore Circuit Court
- Case Type
- Criminal Indictment
- Parties
- Maryland v. Camree Hickerson
- Jurisdiction
- Baltimore City, Maryland
- Date
- 2024-06-14
- Status
- Plea Entered
Body:
A West Baltimore woman died on the night of June 14, 2024, after two pit bulls attacked her and two other people on the 2000 block of North Pulaski Street, near the Mondawmin neighborhood. The Washington Post first reported the fatal attack, citing preliminary information from the Baltimore Police Department [1]. Shortly before 9 p.m., police were called to that block in West Baltimore, where three people had been attacked by a pair of pit bull terriers; Sheila Jones, 54, was mauled and pronounced dead at the scene [2]. According to her daughter, Jones had been headed to the store when she saw two people being attacked and attempted to run back into her home through the alley, but the pit bulls pulled her back [3].
Officers arriving at the scene found a 67-year-old woman with a bite wound to her arm and a 42-year-old man with bite injuries to his arm, leg, and face; both were treated and released from the hospital [2]. Officers surrounded the dogs and discharged their weapons at 9:16 p.m.; police killed one of the dogs, and the other was taken into custody by Baltimore City Animal Control [3]. Baltimore City Animal Control confirmed it was participating fully with Baltimore Police in the investigation [2].
The dogs' owner had been warned prior to the attack that her pets were dangerous and had been ordered to muzzle and securely fence them before they escaped from a backyard in West Baltimore; the dogs, named Moe and Prince, fatally mauled Jones as she walked toward the store [3]. Baltimore Police identified the owner as Camree Hickerson, 32, of Arbutus; she was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison [3]. The Baltimore City Animal Hearing Panel had previously classified the two pit bulls as dangerous and required Hickerson to take steps to protect public safety [3].
Hickerson later pleaded guilty in Baltimore Circuit Court to involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment in exchange for no additional incarceration; she received five years of supervised probation, a prohibition on owning any pets during that period, and a requirement to perform 50 hours of community service [3]. The Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office was involved in the investigation and retained authority to issue charges [2].
A fatal dog attack in Baltimore had not been reported since 2013, when a Northeast Baltimore woman was killed by a pit bull she owned [3]. Fatal dog attacks remain rare nationally; dogs killed an average of 43 people per year from 2011 to 2021, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [3]. Marvin Cheatham, president of the Matthew Henson Neighborhood Association, told reporters after the attack that he believed the dogs had a local owner, estimating that at least 30 pit bulls lived in the area and asserting there was "no such thing as a stray pit bull in the Western District" [2].
References
[1] The Washington Post. (2024, June 15). Woman dies after dog attack, Baltimore police say. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/06/15/woman-pitbull-dog-dies-attack/
[2] CBS Baltimore. (2024, June 17). Baltimore Police working to find owner of stray pit bulls that killed woman, injured two others. https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/baltimore-police-working-to-find-owner-of-stray-pit-bulls-that-killed-woman-injured-two-others/
[3] The Baltimore Banner. (2025, December 19). Camree Hickerson pleads guilty in deadly dog attack in Baltimore. https://www.thebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/deadly-dog-attack-baltimore-camree-hickerson-guilty-plea-F66NZ6YJIRHULELI5AACXJNJKA/