A private funeral Mass has been held for a 9-year-old Detroit girl who was killed by three dogs while she rode her bike.
The Detroit News reports that purple and pink flowers decorated the entrance at St. Cunegunda Church. Those were Emma Hernandez's favorite colors. Church bells could be heard throughout the neighborhood Saturday.
A woman in the neighborhood, Alicia Castillo, called it a "beautiful scene."
Deborah Golden, center, talks with Detroit police after she tried to render aid to a young girl who later died of her injuries in Detroit on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. Police say the owner of three dogs is in custody after the animals killed Emma Hernandez, 9, as she rode a bike. The girl's father, Armando Hernandez, says the man was warned that a fence was too flimsy to hold the dogs. (Max OrtizDetroit News via AP)
Emma was attacked Monday while riding her bike in an alley near her home. The owner of the dogs, Pierre Cleveland, has been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes for failing to control the dogs. One dog was fatally shot during the attack.
Defense attorney Emmett Greenwood says Cleveland tried to get the pit bulls or pit bull mixes off Emma.
Two boys watch as a Detroit police officer investigates a fatal dog attack on a young girl who later died of her injuries in Detroit on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. Police say the owner of three dogs is in custody after the animals killed Emma Hernandez, 9, as she rode a bike. The girl's father, Armando Hernandez, says the man was warned that a fence was too flimsy to hold the dogs. (Max OrtizDetroit News via AP)
