A Florida felon shot and killed a police dog while running away from cops, who then gunned him down, according to reports.
Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velazquez said his department got a frantic 911 call around 5 a.m. Wednesday from a woman who said Earnest Borders had yanked out of a car, slammed her head into the concrete, choked her and then fired a gun before fleeing the area.
Borders, 57, later returned to the scene and saw officers waiting for him before he took off into a wooded area nearby, according to Fox 13.
Lake Wales police set up a perimeter and sent out their K-9, Max, to track Borders down.
The pursuing pooch quickly picked up on the crook’s scent and clamped down on his ankle with cops right behind him.
Borders then pulled out his firearm and fatally shot Max at point blank range, police said.
Florida police officer Jared Joyner is pictured with police dog, Max. The pooch was shot dead by a suspect this week.
Lake Wales cops then opened fire on Borders and he later died from his injuries, according to the outlet.
The grieving department held a memorial procession for Max Wednesday after the incident.
His handler, Officer Jared Joyner, placed the pooch in the back of a patrol car and drove from police headquarters to the medical examiner with colleagues following behind him.
Earnest Borders was fatally shot by police after the suspect shot the dog, police said.
Describing the dog as “fearless,” Velazquez said he joined the department in 2016 from the Netherlands at 21-months-old.
“Officer Joyner lost a part of his family today,” Velasquez said. “This officer is extremely distraught. He’s heartbroken, and so are we.”
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said that Max’s death may have saved the life of an officer.
Police released bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of the suspect.
“It crushes you because that K-9 died so the police officers wouldn’t,” he said. “He was the tip of the spear. What we lost today was one of our partners. Our K-9 Max died so no Lake Wales police officers would.”
Officials said Borders had 18 prior felonies on his rap sheet, including assault and grand theft.
* Article from: The New York Post
