Police thought man who died in crash was shot. But he was bitten, Texas cops say

Authorities in a rural Texas town say a man killed in a car crash last week was bitten by a dog and not shot as originally suspected.

Leon Peysen, 70, was found in the Waco-suburb Hewitt trapped underneath his overturned SUV May 5 with a neck injury believed to be a gunshot wound, KWKT reported. At the time, it was unclear if he was killed by a bullet or from the crash.

Police now say the crash killed Peysen — because he wasn’t shot at all.

Security footage revealed Peysen pulled three dogs into the SUV and he was attempting to leave a parking lot when the vehicle reversed suddenly, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald. The vehicle struck a business’s sign, which flipped the SUV and trapped Peysen and the dogs, the news outlet reported.

One of the dogs may have bitten Peysen in an attempt to wake him up, an official said, according to the Tribune-Herald. Peysen died at the scene.

Two of the dogs ran off and another was pinned with Peysen, KWTX reported. That dog was found with blood on its mouth and was biting at the vehicle to try to break free, according to KWTX.

Police found a handgun beside Peysen, which is why they suspected he had been shot, according to KWTX.

The dog was taken to a vet and was returned to family members, KWKT reported.

This story was originally published May 12, 2021 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Police thought man who died in crash was shot. But he was bitten, Texas cops say."