Beloved Police Dog Killed in Violent Florida Mall Shootout

A police dog was killed in a shootout outside a Florida shopping mall on Christmas Eve. 

ABC News reports that local police responded to a tip that a suspect in an attempted murder was at the Mall at Wellington Green in Wellington, FL. When they approached the man in the parking lot, he ran.

Police sent off their canine to catch up to the suspect and they allege that the suspect opened fire on the dog, whose name wss Cigo, killing it. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office said that the suspect continued to fire on the deputies and they shot back, wounding him severely.

“As it stands right now, we’ve got two very dangerous people off the street,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. “Unfortunately, it took the life of one of our dogs, but he did his job. He saved the lives of the deputies.”

“It’s difficult anytime you lose a dog, but remember the dog did his job,” Bradshaw added. “He saved those deputies’ lives and gave them an opportunity to take this person into custody as he randomly fired at the first person he sees. Fortunately it was the dog and not the deputies.”

The office also posted a video of Cigo’s visiblyy upset handler being consoled by other police officers. 

“The pain felt by [Cigo’s] handler/partner is strong,” they wrote. “Our prayers are with him tonight.”