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Police K-9 Shot And Killed
Yet another police dog has been shot and killed in the line of duty. Smith County Deputy Constable K-9 Ogar, a young Belgian Malinois, who worked with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office in Texas was killed during a traffic stop The search continues for a suspect wanted in connection to the fatal shooting of a Smith County deputy K-9 constable Tuesday morning. Public Information Officer Laura Parsons says the K-9 was shot near Farm-to-Market 849 at Interstate 20 West. Details about what led up to the shooting were not immediately available. Parsons said that Sheriff Larry Smith is asking that no one pick up hitchhikers on I-20, especially between Highway 110 and FM 849, and along Hwy 110 from I-20 to FM 849. The suspect being sought is Michael Paul Koch, 36, according to Grand Saline Police. Police say Koch was last seen wearing a plaid shirt and jacket and was located at I-20 and FM 849 in the Hideaway Lake area. They say he is considered armed and dangerous and is from the Grand Saline area. You’re urged to call 911 immediately if you know where Koch is located. Police believe Koch was holed up in the Willow Branch Road area near an RV park. About 4 p.m., I-20 was temporarily shut down in some areas where the search was concentrated. Two suspects are in custody, in connection with the shooting. Officers say Koch fled on foot. The deputy canine constable killed in the shooting, Ogar, was partnered with Smith County Constable Kenneth Bibby. Ogar was awarded his bullet and stab protective vest in Oct. 2015 by the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. Ironically, Ogar was recently given a bulletproof vest by the nonprofit Vested Interest in K-9s. He was the third police dog to wear this vest—the other two K-9s were also killed. “First K-9 handler that was awarded the vest through the program was killed in the line of duty. Then the secondary officer that received it for his K-9 was killed by a drunk driver,” Precinct 5 Constable Kenneth Bibby said. K-9 Ogar is the third police dog to be killed by gunfire while on the job so far this year. On Jan. 10, K9 Jethro succumbed to bullet wounds in Ohio, and the next day, K9 Krijger was shot and killed was shot and killed while responding to a domestic abuse call in Virginia.
