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The Tampa Police K9 credited with capturing the man who shot and killed Cpl. Mike Roberts in 2009 has died. The police department announced the dog’s passing on its Facebook page Friday, noting great sadness at the loss of the retired four-legged hero. “You should remember his name, not only for the outstanding bravery and service that he bestowed upon the citizens of Tampa, but for his greatest act as a hero; the capture of Corporal Mike Roberts killer,” the agency explained. “K9 Koda retired in 2012 and lived out the rest of his days with his partner, retired K9 Master Patrol Officer Sandy Learned.”
Roberts was on a suspicious person call in the Sulphur Springs area on Aug. 19, 2009, when he was shot and killed. He spotted a man pushing a shopping cart and stopped to question him. A struggle ensued. The man, later identified as Humberto Delgado Jr., a former police officer himself, pulled out a gun and fired at the officer with a .38-caliber handgun, striking him in the chest. As Roberts’ sergeant pulled onto the scene, Delgado took out an AR-15 rifle from the shopping cart and fired it at the sergeant before fleeing. Koda found Delgado a short time later. Roberts died shortly after the shooting at Tampa General Hospital. Delgado, who served as a police officer in the U.S. Virgin Islands, was convicted of first-degree murder on Nov. 15, 2011. He is serving a life sentence without parole, Tampa Police noted on the agency’s website. Roberts was a police veteran of 11 years and served in the U.S. Army. He left behind a wife and a 3-year-old son. “There is no doubt in our hearts that Koda is in the company of Corporal Mike Roberts and the rest of the K9s that have passed before,” the police department wrote Friday. “Rest in peace K9 Koda. Thank you for your service.”
