Dog kills four-year-old boy

LONDON (Reuters) - A dog killed a four-year-old boy on Monday and wounded a 63-year-old woman who tried to stop the attack, police said.

Police were called to a home in the early hours in Liverpool and found the dog in the front garden of the house in an "agitated state." The child suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene, while the woman was taken to hospital.

"This is a tragic incident and a full and thorough investigation will be carried out into the circumstances surrounding this young boy's death," Chief Superintendent Steve Ashley said in a statement.

The dog was destroyed.

The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act prohibits the possession of certain types of dogs that are bred for fighting.

Nearly 200 illegal dogs were seized or handed over to police in the Liverpool area in the months after a pit-bull terrier killed a 5-year-old girl near the city in 2007.

(Writing by Jon Hemming; Editing by Steve Addison)