Died – 8/15/16
K9 Officer Zeke passed away inside police vehicle
The City of Ranger’s K9 Officer Zeke passed away Monday morning after he was found unresponsive inside a police vehicle. Ranger Chief of Police Larry Watson Jr. confirmed this information but additional details surrounding Zeke’s death cannot be release pending an investigation. Zeke was pronounced dead at a veterinary clinic in Eastland around 10:30 a.m. Chief Watson says Texas A&M is performing an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Chief Watson declined to comment when asked if there was any pending disciplinary action connected to Zeke’s passing. However, he did say the Texas Rangers, the Eastland County District’s Attorney’s Office, and Internal Affairs are conducting a review of the incident. Zeke joined the Ranger police force earlier this year after he was retired from the Abilene Police Department. Ranger citizens gathered donations to help purchase Zeke for their police department. Chief Watson says the City of Ranger paid half the bill to purchase Zeke, but the citizen donations paid for the other have.