LA VERGNE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee police department has set a December memorial service for a K-9 officer fatally shot last week.
The La Vergne Police Department on Thursday said a memorial service for the K-9 Sjaak will be held December 1 at 10 a.m. at Lifepoint Church in Smyrna. Seating is limited due to coronavirus safety measures and the department has asked attendees to wear masks.
The dog was shot three times last week when its handler, Officer Justin Darby, pulled out of the department parking lot and another vehicle pulled up beside the officer's car and began firing, authorities said. The suspect then drove to an apartment complex, where he got out and shot at pursuing officers, who returned fire, officials said.
The suspect, later identified as Javon Brice, 39, had a bullet wound and was declared dead at the hospital, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.
Sjaak, who was on the police force 2014, underwent surgery for the wounds but did not survive.