UPDATE: Kirkland Man Shoots Pit Bull at Juanita Beach Park

A Kirkland man shot and wounded a pit bull at Saturday afternoon after the pit bull first attacked the man’s dog and then turned on him, according to Kirkland Police.

The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. when three pit bulls, all off-leash, came into the area and one approached the man and attacked his German shepherd, which was also off-leash.

The man, identified as Tim Lewis by KOMO News, had been throwing a spinning disc to his German shepherd when the attack occurred. "All hell broke loose," Lewis told KOMO.

When Lewis attempted to pull the pit bull off of his dog, the two other pit bulls joined the attack and could not be removed, even when the owner of the pit bulls, a Seattle man, tried to remove them as well.

The three pit bulls continued to attack the shepherd and when one was pulled off, it turned to attack Lewis, the Kirkland man.

Lewis, who has a registered permit to carry a concealed weapon, then pulled out a pistol and shot the dog once, said Kirkland Police Sgt. Rob Saloum.

The owner of the pit bulls took the three dogs and went to a local veterinarian hospital. The wounded pit bull underwent surgery and is expected to survive.

King County Animal Control was notified and would be the agency issuing any citations regarding the dogs. Kirkland park rules require that all dogs be on leash at all times.

Kirkland Police are investigating the shooting and said witness statements back up the Kirkland man’s account.

"There were witnesses there," said Saloum "The initial witness statements corroborate (Lewis') statement."

Lewis later told KOMO that, "If I didn't have my gun, I'd be dead right now. It was an instant decision. It's not something I wanted to do. I love animals."

The German shepherd apparently sustained minor injuries in the attack.

Saloum said Lewis' semiautomatic pistol was confiscated. "It was taken as part of the investigation," Saloum said.