It happened Tuesday morning at a home in the 300 block of Amity Street in Elizabeth.
Three pit bulls began fighting, and when the women living in the house tried to break it up using sticks to hit the dogs, the pit bulls turned and viciously started biting them.
Cell phone video obtained by Eyewitness News showed the three dogs fighting in the fenced-in driveway next to the home.
Police quickly arrived on the scene and had to make a fast decision to take action as the pit bulls were continuing their attack.
The video shows officers using a long gun and a couple of shotguns to shoot the dogs.
Two of them were killed. The third is expected to survive.
All three injured people were taken to nearby Trinitas Hospital.
One woman suffered multiple bites and has a broken arm. Her two daughters, ages 24 and 30, were bitten on the hands and arms.
There were a total of six dogs in the house.
A neighbor told Eyewitness News the pit bulls are a terror, and the owners have come out to break up fights between the dogs on multiple occasions.
The remaining dogs have now been removed from the home.
The Union County Prosecutor's Office is investigating.
ALSO READ | 2 dead, 5 injured when car jumps sidewalk in Brooklyn
2 dead, 5 injured when car jumps curb, goes onto sidewalk in Brooklyn
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More New Jersey news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube