A police dog in Arizona was fatally shot after attacking and seriously injuring its handler earlier this week, according to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office (CCSO).
Hawk, a Belgian Malinois, attacked his handler, Deputy Marshal John Coby in the early hours of Tuesday, November 19 at the Tombstone Marshal's Office in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona.
An incident report posted to Facebook on Wednesday evening by the CCSO said that "Coby was working with his two-and-a-half-year-old K-9 partner Hawk on the night shift and shortly after 5:00 am the K-9 attacked his handler, Coby. Deputy Marshal Coby advised that the K-9 latched onto his leg and would not let go, causing serious ankle/leg injury."
The reported continued: "Deputy Marshal Coby was able to get into the bathroom and partially close the door in an effort to get the K-9 to unlatch from the bite. The K-9 would not release and continued the aggression before Deputy Marshal Coby fired his service weapon at the dog. The result of the discharge was Hawk being killed."
After the shooting, Coby was then airlifted to a Tucson hospital to be treated for injuries to his leg. He was later released from hospital that evening.
The shooting is being investigated by the CCSO as an "officer- involved shooting." While the investigation is ongoing, Coby will remain off-duty on medical leave.
A necropsy—a post-mortem examination on an animal—is planned for Hawk and the CCSO will undertake a complete assessment to determine what happened.
In a statement shared with Newsweek via email on Friday, Marshal Jim Adams said, "The Tombstone Marshal's Office loves and appreciates our K-9 partners, not only because of the incredible work they do to keep illicit drugs off our streets, but because they are valued members of our Law Enforcement family. Injuries to Peace Officers, whether intentional or accidental, is an unfortunate consequence of our profession, but you're never fully prepared to see one of your own get hurt. We wish for our Deputy to heal fully and return to work when he is able. The loss of Hawk from our team is immensely tragic and has impacted our agency deeply."
He added: "We take this incident seriously and immediately asked our county Sheriff's Department to conduct a complete assessment of the circumstances surrounding the event in an attempt to understand what happened. All relevant evidence is being provided to facilitate that comprehensive review and we have full faith in CCSO's professionalism and objectivity in the matter."
Following the necropsy, Hawk's ashes will be returned to the Tombstone Marshal's Office for internment.
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