GARDENA, Calif. – K9 Jack, a law enforcement service dog with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was shot and killed while responding to a lengthy standoff with an armed suspect in the city of Gardena on Thursday.
“We lost one of our partners today. It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of beloved Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) K9 Jack,” Sheriff Robert Luna posted on Twitter Friday morning.
Jack and his handler worked as a team with members of LASD’s Special Enforcement Bureau. They responded to an apartment the 1800 block of West 145th Street regarding a suspect involved in an assault with a deadly weapon (ADW). Deputies had engaged the man in a standoff for more than 24 hours.
According to the sheriff’s department, the unnamed suspect shot at someone during a dispute Wednesday before barricading himself inside the apartment for more than a day when deputies, including Jack, made entry around 5:42 p.m. Thursday, KTLA reported.
The suspect opened fire on deputies making entry. Jack was struck by gunfire and did not survive, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
“K9 Jack was tragically shot and killed by a violent armed suspect during a tactical operation in Gardena,” Luna posted following the incident.
Deputies engaged the gunman in a shootout, the sheriff’s department said. As a result, the suspect was fatally shot during the gun battle. Fortunately, no other deputies were injured by gunfire.
Investigators recovered a firearm used by the gunman at the scene, according to the press statement.
Jack was a Belgian Malinois imported from the Netherlands to begin work with LASD in 2019. Since his arrival he’s been a “devoted member” of the Special Enforcement Bureau.
