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Died – 11/22/19
Handler – Officer Doug Jones
An El Mirage neighborhood was swarmed with a heavy police presence after a police K-9 unit dog was shot and killed Friday night. El Mirage Police Chief Paul Marzocca, in a statement posted on the department’s Facebook page, confirmed the dog’s death Friday night.”It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of our K9 Koki who was killed in the line of duty tonight protecting other officers from harm. He will be greatly missed,” the statement said. The incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. near El Mirage Road and Well Street, which is near Grand Avenue. Details about the incident were not immediately made available by police Friday night. Pictures from local television helicopters showed a heavy police presence was in the area as police searched the area for a suspect. The El Mirage Police Department did not respond to The Arizona Republic’s requests for further comment Friday. There were no reports of any injuries to police officers. Koki, the name of the dog, was a Belgian Malinois with four years of service, according to the Police Department’s Facebook post on Aug. 8. Koki enjoyed finding criminals and drugs and napping on the cool floor, the post said. Officer Doug Jones, Koki’s handler, has 19 years of service and seven years of experience as a dog handler, the post stated. He enjoyed working with Koki and fishing, the post added. According to the Facebook post, the pair made up the Police Department’s K-9 unit team and had recently received a perfect score on the highest level of certification at the annual National Police Canine Association patrol certifications. In January, they had received a drug enforcement certification, the post said.
