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Died – 11/13/19
K9 officer killed while tracking 2 suspects
The death of a Fishers Police Department K-9 officer early Wednesday morning was the first line-of-duty death in the department’s history. K-9 Harlej (pronounced Harley), a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, was killed during a manhunt for two suspects. The incident began when officers attempted to stop a possible drunken driver just after midnight on I-69. After a brief chase, the suspects stopped in the Saxony neighborhood and fled from their vehicle. K-9 Harlej was deployed to find the suspects and while he was searching in a wooded area, officers heard what they believed were shots fired from a gun. Harlej was later found dead in the woods and two suspects, a man and a woman, were taken into custody. Their identities have not been released at this time. The male suspect was treated for dog bite injuries and released back into police custody.”It is my belief that he saved lives last night and we’re thankful for his sacrifice,” Fishers Police Department Chief Ed Gebhart said during a press conference early Wednesday morning. Police are still searching for a weapon in the area where the suspects were taken into custody. Harlej joined the Fishers Police Department in 2015 and has had a “very successful career,” according to Chief Gebhart. “We would ask for the community to be patient with us,” Gebhart said. Harlej’s death is the first line-of-duty death for the department since it opened in 1994.Services for Harlej will be announced at a later date. Donations to the department in Harlej’s name can be sent to the Fishers Police Foundation.
