The 2-year-old German Shepherd named 'Mick' had only just joined the Portland Police force when he was fatally injured in the early hours of Wednesday while responding to a burglary alarm.
The K-9 duo were chasing a suspect when 40-year-old Officer Jeff Dorn told Mick to 'Take that suspect!' and both were shot.
'Mick saved my life,' Officer Dorn said yesterday as he recovered from two gunshot wounds in the legs. He has since been released from the hospital.
Officer Dorn, a 16-year veteran of the force, joined the K-9 division in 2006 and Mick was his second police dog.
The two had just finished 400 hours of training to pass the Oregon Police Canine Association Certification on March 5.
Around 2am Wednesday morning, Officer Dorn and his dog responded to a burglary call at Blumenthal Uniforms & Equipment.
When they arrived at the store, they found three suspects sitting in a nearby SUV and the suspects quickly tore off starting a chase.
One of the suspects in the shooting, 20-year-old Steven Young (pictured), was booked for burglary charges. The other two suspects, including 20-year-old Paul Ropp who is suspected of shooting Mick, were expected to be booked sometime Thursday after a stay in the hospital
The chase ended when the SUV crashed into a pole and one of the suspects, 20-year-old Paul Ropp, got out of the vehicle and started running.
Officer Dorn, another officer, and Mick took after Ropp into a nearby neighborhood and that's when the gunfight insued.
Officer Dorn was hit twice in the legs, and Mick took a direct hit to the body. Mick was not wearing a canine ballistic vest at the time.
Police created a perimeter around the neighborhood and later arrested Ropp as well as the two other suspects: 25-year-old Jamaell Riley and 20-year-old Steven Young.
They also located an AR-15 assault rifle nearby, which they believe Ropp used to shoot Officer Dorn and his dog.
Officer Dorn was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released Thursday.
Mick disappeared after the shooting and was later found dead underneath a nearby bush.
Hundreds of firemen, police officers, and other canine units came together Wednesday to bring Mick's body from the scene of the shooting to a veterinarian's office.
Russ Hall and his canine companion were one of the many who turned out to honor Mick.
'You become emotionally attached to them,' Officer Hall told ABC News. 'They're loving animals, they're good dogs, you get a bond with them.'
Ropp, the suspect who allegedly shot Mick, was taken to the hospital for a head injury after the shootout and was exepcted to be booked in Multnomah County Jail sometime Thursday. He was also joined by suspect Riley, while Young was immediately booked for first-degree burglary. All three are expected to be arraigned on Friday.
Ropp had most recently been living in the Beaverton area, his father Alan Ropp told the Oregonian.
'We're very sad all this has happened,' Mr Ropp said from his home in The Dalles.
Ropp had attended Portlad State University through spring break, but had not signed up for the spring term, a school spokesman said. He was majoring in international studies.
According to a necropsy, Mick died from a single gunshot would. He would have turned 2 years old in September.
Mick started his short life as 'Dusty vom Langgarten' in Germany before he was imported by Colorado-based Tac-Dogs.
At Tac-Dogs, Mick learned how to track suspects, search for evidence, protect his handlers and apprehend suspects.
Tac-Dogs trainer Leslie Hamblin remembers Mick as a 'great dog' who 'loved to give smooches'.
When he was chosen to join the Portland police force, Dusty went to live with Officer Dorn and his family, who decided to change the dogs name to 'Mickey' and 'Mick' for short while working.
Before his death, Mick had taken down five suspects, including anther burglary suspects just hours before his death.
'He did his job,' Ms Hamblin told the Oregonian. 'He paid the ultimate sacrifice.'
(Daily Mail - April 17, 2014)
No comments:
Post a Comment