Thank you all for the support. He is at peace now; it will just take me some time to find my peace again. It is much better he went this way then after an incident that would left someone carrying scars for life.
Establishing acceptable behavior in a pack member is the responsibility of the pack leader. Any behavior that goes uncorrected quickly and consistently is established as acceptable behavior. Establishing dominance is not a one time event. You have to do it on a constant basis. It is very easy and does not take much time. You can put down food and make your dog sit until you release him to eat. When are playing, hold him down by the neck and growl until his body language shows submission. Sometimes you have to have a more severe come to Jesus moment to remind them of your dominance.
Now that you have established yourself as the source of quick and fair correction, you are ready for training. Expose him to strangers and reward postive behavior. If his body language shows fear, give him a sweet voice of reassurance. But if his body language shows aggression, correct the behavior immediately! Push him to the ground by the neck and growl and bark. Tell him no and do not release him until he shows submission or contrition.
If the dog is aggressive towards children, he needs to be put down! I know thats not very "warm and fuzzy" but never the less..... I will not tolerate a biting dog period. Even if he is bred to be aggressive, he bites when I say and whom I say and absolutely NO ONE else.
JMHO
BT