The Houston Police Department says one of its K-9 dogs has died of heat exhaustion in a "tragic accident" after the engine of the air-conditioned vehicle it was left in unexpectedly shut off.
The 4-year-old canine, Aron, had served with the department for one and a half years.
"The handler left Aron in a running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle, which is a necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work," the Houston Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.
"When Aron’s police handler returned to the vehicle, it was discovered that the engine had shut off and Aron was in distress," the statement continued. "He was transported to an emergency veterinarian clinic but ultimately succumbed to the heat."
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Houston Police say their K-9 vehicles are equipped with a system that notifies the handler, sounds the horn, rolls down the vehicle’s windows and activates cooling fans "if for some reason the vehicle shuts down."
But in this instance, the system didn’t operate as intended, according to police.
"HPD is investigating the tragedy to determine what went wrong and to prevent this from happening in the future," it said. "All HPD vehicles that transport K-9s will immediately be inspected by the vendor to ensure the systems are working properly."
Police concluded their statement by asking the public to "please keep Aron’s handler and the entire K-9 team in your prayers as they mourn the loss of Aron."
CALIFORNIA ‘CAREER CRIMINAL’ APPREHENDED IN BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE, KILLS FAITHFUL K-9, POLICE SAY
In April, another K-9 dog died in California after allegedly being shot and killed by a "career criminal" suspect who was fleeing from deputies.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said that police had been searching for Johnny Ray Llamas, a career criminal, for "weeks" on three outstanding felony warrants for sexual assault of a child under 14, robbery, and probation violation.
On Friday, April 14 at approximately 4:45 p.m., a 911 caller reported two unknown individuals running away from law enforcement across their property in Perris, California. The caller said they "had a bottle with them" and appeared to be on drugs.
Deputies responded to the scene and pursued Llamas through residential properties, with a K-9 named Rudy.
In dramatic body camera footage, deputies can be heard saying shots were fired, and the K-9 was down.
K-9 Rudy was transported to a veterinary hospital where he died of his injuries. The sheriff’s office said that weeks before the incident, the faithful K9 and his handler Deputy Day received first place at the Las Vegas Metro Police K-9 Trials in the Handler Protection Category.
Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
