Oct. 26 (UPI) -- An Amazon delivery driver in Missouri, who was apparently mauled by two dogs, was found dead near his truck, according to authorities.
The body of the Amazon worker was found Monday night after neighbors in the Wood Heights area of Excelsior Springs noticed his delivery truck parked, with lights flashing, for several hours in front of a house.
Ray County Sheriff's deputies responded and found the body of the driver in a nearby yard with two dogs, according to KMBC.
"They observed the male had tremendous amount of trauma to his body that would be consistent with canine wounds, like canine bites," said Ray County Sheriff Scott Chiders.
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The sheriff said one of the dogs on the property, a mastiff, was aggressive to a deputy who was forced to shoot the dog to protect himself. Both dogs, including a German Shepherd, were shot and killed.
"I made the decision to use exigent circumstances," Chiders said as he defended his decision to shoot the dogs. "I had so many people who were going to be in that yard but I did not want them to be attacked."
"There's a lot of investigation to be done," Chiders said. "People have a right to have dogs that protect them and protect their property. But you have a man just doing his job."
There is no information on the dogs' owner or whether anyone was at home at the time of the suspected attack.
The delivery driver has not been identified. Chiders said the worker was filling in for another Amazon driver on the route. An autopsy will be performed to determine how he died.
"We're deeply saddened by tonight's tragic incident involving a member of our Amazon family and will be providing support to the team and the driver's loved ones," Amazon said in a statement Monday. "We are assisting law enforcement in their investigation."
