Horrified neighbours of an eight-year-old boy who was killed in a vicious mauling said they heard "blood-curdling screams" before the youngster came out of the house covered in blood.

The was rushed to hospital after sustaining severe injuries to his head and neck in the horror attack, which happened just after 11am last Tuesday on Ohai Street in Honolulu, Hawaii. “I hear blood-curdling screams and then they come running out with the baby limp in their arms, bleeding everywhere,” said one neighbour, who asked not to be named. “It was awful. It was awful”, the resident added.

sources said the attack was caught on video via a surveillance system, which was crucial in its investigation, Hawaii News Now reports. The child is believed to have been alone and unattended in his neighbour's garden when he was set upon by the large Pitbull, which was on a chain.

When help arrived, the boy did not have a pulse - but first responders managed to revive him and rushed him to the .

It is not yet known where the boy's parents were at the time of the attack, and an unattended death investigation has been launched by the Honolulu Police Department. The dog’s owner, meanwhile, surrendered the animal, according to the Hawaiian Humane Society.

“I’m horrified. Horrified that this happened,” Meriah Nichols, who teaches disability studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa told HNN. “Many kids with intellectual disabilities, in particular Down syndrome and autism, will elope. And that’s where they just have an impulse to go somewhere and they go,” she said. “Kids with intellectual disabilities can be extremely clever and ingenious in finding a way to get out.”

A spokesperson said in a statement: “I can confirm that the Honolulu Police Department requested our assistance after the owners of the dog surrendered him into their care following the incident. Hawaiian Humane’s trained staff assessed the dog’s behavior and the circumstances of the incident as shared to us by HPD’s responding officers.

“Because the dog exhibited severe aggressive behaviors that could pose a safety threat to staff, volunteers and the community, we proceeded with humane euthanasia as it was the most compassionate outcome for the animal and the safety of the public.”

Investigators with Hawaii News Now attempted to contact the dog's owners but were reportedly told by a neighbour that they were not home.