GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A community came together to honor a K-9 officer killed in the line of duty.
Officer Blue was killed during a shootout with accused car thieves last week in Gwinnett County.
“K-9 Blue was the first canine that was assigned to our full-time SWAT team. K-9 Blue was shot at least one time, taken to a local veterinary hospital where the dog died,” Cpl. Collin Flynn with the Gwinnett County Police Department said. “Officers fired after being fired upon. A handgun was found with the suspect after he was taken into custody. We believe that handgun was used by the suspect in this case."
A funeral procession started at 8:30 a.m.
On Tuesday, Blue is being laid to rest at the Oak Rest Pet Gardens Cemetery in Bethlehem, Georgia.
More than 100 people lined the streets to pay their respects to Blue during the procession. Law enforcement from Clayton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties were all in attendance.
One woman who attend the funeral procession had a custom t-shirt honoring the dog. She said it was important for her to be there because K-9 officers sometimes get overlooked.
“It broke my heart and I know it did all the officers because I was reading their posts that said because of him they all got to go home that night,” said Jennifer Bell. “This poor dog, I wish it knew how many people here loved it.”
The police department thanked the “countless members of the public who have reached out with their condolences for SWAT K9 Blue over the past few days.”
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