Police K9 Killed Tracking Homicide Suspect During Last Shift Before Retirement
A Portland police dog was shot and killed on his final shift before retirement while helping track a homicide suspect.
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The gunfire broke out around 1:45 p.m. Thursday, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Two Portland officers and two from outside agencies confronted a wanted man at the location. Shots followed. The man died at the scene. Officers recovered a firearm.
The dog, Kylo, was hit in the same shooting and later died of his wounds at a veterinary hospital. The Portland Police Bureau has not said whether the suspect or officers fired the fatal rounds. An internal use-of-force review will examine the response and the tactics used. (RELATED: US Marshals Arrest Teen Suspect In Shooting Of College Student In Different State)
The dead man had been identified as the suspect in a Gresham homicide earlier Thursday, according to the Gresham Police Department. Officers responded to a welfare check on Southeast Market Street shortly after 7 a.m. and found Jeff Thompson, 60, shot to death inside.
Detectives identified the suspect using new public safety cameras in nearby Vance Park, according to Gresham police. Motorola license plate readers the city operates under Oregon Senate Bill 1516 aided the case. The U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force joined the arrest attempt. The man fled as officers closed in.
Kylo had served six years with the Portland Police Bureau and was working his final shift before retirement, according to the bureau. The German shepherd was the first Portland police dog killed in the line of duty since 2014, according to KATU.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day called the loss personal at a Thursday news conference, according to KOIN. “It’s a solemn reminder of the real threats that our members face in our city every day,” Day said.
Portland Police Union President Sgt. Aaron Schmautz called it a heavy blow to the force, according to KOIN. “These dogs, they’re born, they’re bred, they’re raised to just help and serve and support community safety, and Kylo was there until the very last moment, and he died saving the lives of several police officers,” Schmautz said.
Officers saluted as police and firefighters escorted Kylo’s flag-draped body into the Oregon Humane Society on Thursday evening, according to KATU.
Gresham police and the East County Major Crimes Team are leading the homicide case, according to Gresham police.
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