By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
TUCSON, Ariz. — A K-9 with the Tombstone Marshal’s Office was shot and killed after attacking his handler, according to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Marshal John Coby was working with his 2-and-a-half-year-old K-9 partner, Hawk, during a shift on Nov. 19 when Hawk attacked him. The K-9 latched onto his leg and would not let go, causing serious injuries to Coby’s ankle and leg, the sheriff’s office said.
In an effort to get Hawk to unlatch from his leg, Coby moved to the bathroom on the office floor and partially closed the door. The K-9 would not release and continued the aggression before Coby fired his service weapon at the K-9, killing him, the sheriff’s office said.
Coby was airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment of his leg injuries before being released later that evening. Hawk was taken to a facility where a necropsy will be conducted, the sheriff’s office said.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and is receiving assistance from a subject matter expert who is “a resource to provide an assessment of the incident and an overview of the program,” the sheriff’s office said.
Coby remains off-duty on medical leave during the investigation.
“We value our K-9 program and handlers, and we are confident a thorough and objective evaluation of this unfortunate incident will be completed by the Sheriff’s Office,” said Marshal Jim Adams