Died – 6/27/19
Handler – Officer James Meyerchick
Marion K9 dies during ‘routine training exercise’
The Marion Police Department is mourning the loss of one of their K9s after he died unexpectedly during a training exercise. The police department said in a Facebook post that 5-year veteran K9 Assuan died during “somewhat of a routine training exercise.” His handler released a statement: “I lost my best friend this week…..Assuan passed away after a fluke training accident Thursday night. He made me a better officer, probably a better person. I loved that dog more than almost anything in this world…he loved his job and I know he would of taken a bullet for me and done anything to protect me, I only hope he knows that I would of taken 100 bullets for him without a second thought or one hesitation. I always worked and tried to problem solve to make myself a better handler and fine tune him as a dog but truth be told, he was always the best. The best partner, co-worker, and the very best friend. I’m so sorry buddy, I’ll never get over this and you’ll never truly be replaced for me. Rest peacefully Assuan,” the officer said. Police said in a press release that K9 Assuan was conducting a routine criminal apprehension and fence jumping exercise when he hit his dead on a fence. The department said that Assuan suffered a traumatic brain injury and passed away.