Officer Forced To Shoot K9 Partner After Sudden Attack
by Holly MatkinColumbus Police Officer Brian Carter was forced to shoot his partner, K9 Benzi, on Saturday.
Columbus, OH – A Columbus police officer was forced to fatally shoot his K9 partner on Saturday, after the police dog attacked the officer and latched onto his arm, the department said.
The incident occurred at 8:58 a.m., as Columbus Police Officer Brian Carter was training at the police K9 office with his partner, K9 Benzi, the agency said in a press release.
“Officer Carter was correcting Benzi’s behavior through verbal commands when the K9 attacked him,” the statement read.
Officer Carter, a 10-year veteran of the department’s K9 unit, was forced to shoot his partner during the attack, and was left with “serious bites to his arms,” police said.
A tourniquet had to be used to slow the officer’s bleeding, and he was listed in stable condition at Grant Hospital following surgery.
K9 Benzi was transported to a local veterinary hospital, where he was humanely euthanized.
“Benzi was more than Officer Carter’s K9 partner,” the Columbus Police Department tweeted. “He was a member of the Carter family. They are all in our healing prayers during this difficult time.
The three-year-old Belgian Malinois had been with the department for two years.
In March, K9 Benzi and Officer Carter were hailed in a “much deserved shout out” by the department, after they helped apprehend a burglar at the Ohio State University campus.
K9 Benzi was Officer Carter’s second K9 partner.
Columbus Police K9 Unit Supervisor Sergeant Mark Cartwright said this incident marked the first occasion where a Columbus officer shot his K9 partner.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said.
33 Responses
sentimentallady2
Sep 6, 2018 Being in the Medical field for 45 years, now retired as a Nurse, having been around police officers, to include K9 officers, and having many family/friend(s) members in the police force of some type, I'm trying to look at all angles of this sad situation. As a Nurse, also having my own Dogs to include GSD...I sincerely believe this concerning the demise of this officer's partner, an illness of some type: Illness Some illnesses cause dogs to become aggressive. If a dog who has never shown any sign of aggression suddenly begins growling, snapping, or biting, it may be caused by a disease or illness. Pain is a common cause of aggression in dogs. Brain tumors, thyroid disease, and rabies are just a few illnesses that may cause the onset of aggression. Talk to your veterinarian to determine whether a health issue may be the cause of your dog's aggression. I can only hope that an autopsy was performed on the K9 partner, with the investigation to determine, the cause. Something was definitely wrong, for the officer to make that decision, on his partner, to protect all, in the future, to include his family. I didn't intend for my comments to be bad, having also worked with canine highly trained dog(s) of all breeds, my way to relax, as a Nurse trained Critical Care of many areas. It had to be a quick decision from the officer, due to the injuries to him, at the time, to have made the decision to shoot. If only many other(s) WOULD understand, and I'm not too sure PETA advocates WOULD understand. Let's be very grateful it didn't happen, on an actual call, when it could have been much worse, both down.
SteveH1975
Sep 6, 2018 That’s absolutely brutal, my heart goes out to Officer Carter, that’s one hard call he had to make
Milodog05
Sep 5, 2018 This had to be going on for a while that the officer had to make that horrible horrible decision. Obviously he tried everything he could, Once the thought of the tourniquet came into play then you know the officers life was at risk. God bless them both! ❤️💙💔💙
pbm4jc
Sep 4, 2018 unfortunately some dogs do that. my wife's dad was attacked by their family dog when she was young, and she still suffers from PTSD from that incident.
joaquinradioman
Sep 4, 2018 I am sure it was probably devastating for him to have to shoot Benzi but wonder why the dog attacked him so violently....
BlueLady
Sep 4, 2018 Hope an autopsy was done on Benzi, to determine if the behavior was due to a tumor or some other physical reason. That knowledge may help all K9 Officers feel more comfortable about their partners, knowing that Benzi didn’t just ‘snap’ for no reason.
Mawmawto2boys
Sep 4, 2018 Prayers for Office Carter and his family.. RIP Beautiful Benzi.. Something had to have been wrong for him to have turned on his partner like that, I hope they find out what it was to prevent another K-9 to be infected if he was sick..
pixiepup
Sep 4, 2018 Very sad and unusual! Prayers for police officer
maekg40
Sep 4, 2018 My heart goes out to the officer and family. That had to be one of the hardest things to do, but he knew he didn't have a choice.........The ones being so harsh and negative just don't understand. Prayers for swift healing for the officer and his family
Burgers Allday
Sep 4, 2018 Wait, does this mean that police K9 units are capable of inflicting serious bodily injury and perhaps even death?