Heroic police dog Kenzo is stabbed to death by armed robbery suspects in Arizona during scuffle after taking him out during chase
- Kenzo was working with Pima County police looking for the two men when they saw someone entering a business premises on Friday.
- The K-9 was unleashed to try to find the suspicious man for the department, authorities said
- When they found the dog, he was lying on the ground next to one of the robbery suspects. He was pronounced dead at a veterinarian’s office
An Arizona police dog is being mourned after he was stabbed to death while hunting two armed robbery suspects.
Kenzo, of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, was let go after police saw a suspect enter the fencing of a business property Friday evening.
In the end, Kenzo didn’t return and the officers became worried and eventually charged after him.
When they found the dog, it was lying on the ground next to one of the robbery suspects with a knife wound. He was rushed to a local vet, but died from his injuries, according to police Tuscon.com.
“We are saddened by the loss of K9 Kenzo and reminded of the dangers our deputies face, along with their K9 partners who serve alongside them,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Kenzo, an Arizona police dog, is mourned after he was stabbed to death as he and local sheriff’s deputies tried to track down two suspects in an armed robbery
Cody D. “Slade” Bartlett, 36; and Juan Tacho, 32 – the two suspects Kenzo and the officers were chasing – have now been arrested.
Bartlett is charged with armed robbery, aggravated robbery and killing/harming a work/service animal.
Tacho was taken into custody on suspicion of armed robbery, aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Dog lovers and K-9 units across the country are mourning Kenzo and thanking him for his service.
Kenzo was working with Pima County police looking for the two men when they saw someone entering the fencing of a business property on Friday evening.
The K-9 was unleashed to try to find the suspicious man for the department, authorities said
In the end, Kenzo didn’t return and the officers became worried and eventually charged after him. When they found the dog, he was lying on the ground next to one of the robbery suspects
Cody D. “Slade” Bartlett (pictured left), 36; and Juan Tacho (photo right), 32 – the two suspects Kenzo and the officers were chasing – have now been arrested
“Please keep his handler and the Pima County K9 Unit in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve this tragic loss. Get your angel wings and fly high,” wrote one.
The Georgia Police K9 Foundation added: “May he rest in peace. Thank you for your service Kenzo. Our thoughts and prayers with everyone involved.”
Another, stating a comparable recent copy of a K-9 in Tucson who was killed, added, “Enough is enough,” and added prayers for Kenzo.