Sergeant Ben Ricks of the Herriman City Police Department and his K9 partner Hondo were apprehending a fugitive in Salt Lake City, Utah, who was fleeing on foot. That fateful day on Feb. 13, 2020, the suspect pulled out a handgun and shot the dog through the sternum before being himself shot and killed by police.
Despite emergency veterinary care, Hondo died from his injuries. The 7-year-old Belgian Malinois left behind a distinguished record in assisting in “over 100 felony arrests and for taking hundreds of pounds of narcotics off the streets of both Herriman and Salt Lake County communities,” according to HPD Chief Troy Carr.
