WADESBORO, N.C. — A Wadesboro K-9 who was shot by a police officer was originally removed from service due to issues with aggression, according to Virginia State Police.
K-9 Blitz was involved in a traffic stop in Wadesboro on Wednesday that turned into a chase that ended in Mt. Gilead. There, K-9 Blitz took down the suspect and was then killed by an officer.
Neighbors told Channel 9′s Gina Esposito that they heard multiple shots fired and watched three officers carry Blitz’s body to the back of a truck.
Dog breeder and K-9 Blitz’s previous owner, Josh Harrington, said K-9 Blitz should have never been in that position. He said Blitz was not trained in apprehension.
“That dog was to clean up the streets of Wadesboro, for narcotics and tracking, not for biting people,” Harrington said.
Lewis Davis, the suspect in the police pursuit, called Esposito from Anson County Jail on Tuesday. The call was cut off before Davis could share details about the incident.
His lawyer, however, told Esposito that Davis was mauled by K-9 Blitz and was sent to the hospital to treat multiple bite wounds on his hands and back.
Virginia State Police Public Relations Coordinator Matthew Demlein said in a statement to Channel 9: “[K-9] Blitz was part of a recent patrol K9 school with Virginia State Police, trained in tracking, apprehension, and building searches. He was removed from the program last fall because of unwarranted aggression issues and was adopted by a new owner with some experience handling those concerns.”
That’s when Blitz was handed over to Harrington, who Virginia State Police said had some experience handling similar concerns.
The Wadesboro Police Chief told Esposito that Blitz’s aggression issues were not disclosed to him when the department got the dog. He said he only learned the concerns in the days following Blitz’s death.
The chief also said he met with the Montgomery County District Attorney to review the body camera footage from the incident. He said more information will be released soon.
Wadesboro police did not tell Esposito what may have prompted an officer to kill K-9 Blitz, but they did say that an officer was injured at the scene.
WATCH: ‘Needs to be honored’: Community calls for transparency after K-9′s death in Wadesboro
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