South Carolina sheriff's K-9 killed in the line of duty

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — The Richland County Sheriff's Department is mourning the loss of one of their own, after K9 Wick died in the line of duty early Thursday morning.

Wick was struck by a vehicle during a chase, the sheriff's department said in a news release.

The incident began around 1 a.m. when officers identified a stolen vehicle at Windsor Lake Boulevard and Brookfield Road, according to the release.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver refused to stop, leading to a pursuit on Interstate 77, the sheriff's department said.

At the second mile on I-77, officers used stop sticks and the vehicle stopped, but the driver then fled, according to the release.

With the suspected car thief still in sight, Specialist K9 Zaid Abdullah deployed Wick, the sheriff's department said. Abdullah and Wick were chasing them when the 3-year-old Belgian Malinois' leash broke, according to the release. Wick drove away from Abdullah and continued across the northbound side of I-77, where he was struck by a vehicle, the sheriff's department said.

Wick, who had been with the sheriff's department for a year and a half, died at the scene, according to the release.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Wick has been identified and the South Carolina Highway Patrol will conduct an investigation into the collision, according to the release.

The suspected car thief fled, but several other law enforcement agencies in the area responded to assist in the search and an investigation is underway, the sheriff's department said.

There will be a funeral procession for Wick on Thursday, beginning at 11 a.m., according to the release.

The Sheriff's Department said the procession, nearly 10 miles long, will begin at 3924 Fernandina Road in Columbia and end at 200 State Street in West Columbia.

Sheriff Leon Lott is scheduled to speak to the media about Wick's death Thursday afternoon.

“As the Richland County Sheriff’s Department mourns the loss of K9 Wick, we thank the community for their support,” the statement said.

Before Wick's death, the Sheriff's Department had a K9 unit with 26 dogs and their handlers, making it one of the largest law enforcement K9 units in South Carolina.

The Sheriff's Department team has two dogs to detect explosives; five to detect human remains; and one to detect electronic devices, commonly used in child pornography cases. The rest of the dogs are full-service, meaning they are trained in multiple skills, including tracking, apprehension, item search and narcotics detection, The State previously reported.

This is the second time in just over a week that a law enforcement K9 has been killed in the line of duty in South Carolina.

On June 11, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division K9 Coba was shot and killed in the line of duty while assisting the Newberry County Sheriff's Office in apprehending a man wanted for burglary .