Kenzo, The Heroic Arizona Police Dog, Mourned After Fatal Stabbing

The Pima County Police Department is mourning the loss of police dog Kenzo after he was fatally stabbed. Kenzo was chasing down two armed robbery suspects when he was killed. 

The two men have now been arrested and face charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, and killing a service animal.

A similar case happened in Tucson recently, where a police dog was shot by a man in a mental health crisis. 

The Pima County Sheriff's Department, located in Arizona, is mourning the loss of a beloved police dog, Kenzo. Kenzo and several police officers were tracking two armed robbery suspects when the terrible incident happened. The Sheriff's Department has now released a statement on the events of that night.

According to the statement, Kezno was released from his leash when they tracked the suspect to a commercial yard in the area. When he failed to return after a while, the cops got worried and went into the yard after Kenzo. They found the dog with multiple knife wounds and lying on the ground beside one of the suspects.

Police quickly rushed Kenzo to a local vet, but they were unable to save him from the injuries. The statement read, per Daily Mail, "We are saddened by the loss of K9 Kenzo and reminded of the dangers our deputies face along with their K9 partners who serve right beside them."

The two armed robbery suspects Kenzo and the cops were tracking are Cody D.' Slade' Bartlett and Juan Tacho. The two men have now been arrested and face multiple charges. Bartlett faces charges of armed and aggravated robbery and killing a work/service animal.

Tacho, meanwhile, faces charges of armed and aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Since the statement confirming Kenzo's death went public, K-9 units and animal lovers have been thanking him for his hard work and service and mourning the loss.

One message on Twitter included a photo of Kenzo with the American flag. It read, "RIP K-9 Kenzo, who gave his life to save his handler's life and fellow deputies, serving Pima County Sheriff's Office. Please keep his handler and Pima County's K9 Unit in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve this tragic loss. Gain your angel wings and fly high."

A message from the Georgia Police K9 Foundation also shared their condolences for his passing. 

It read, "May he rest in peace. Thank you for your service Kenzo. Our thoughts and prayers with all involved."

Kenzo's fatal stabbing is one of several police K-9 attacks recently. There was a similar case in Tucson, where another K-9, a German Shepard named Raven, was shot during an armed confrontation with a man experiencing a mental health breakdown.

According to a news release from the Pima Regional Critical Incident Team, Raven and several police officers responded to a 911 call on October 8th from Johnathon Drattlo. Drattlo reported that he was experiencing a crisis while armed at Reid Park.

Despite phone intervention from mental health professionals, the situation only got worse. Multiple 911 calls then came in to report gunshots at the park Drattlo said he was at. During the negotiation, he eventually opened fire and injured Raven. At that point, three cops opened fire on Drattlo and wounded him before restraining and rushing him to the hospital.

The police statement further confirmed that Drattlo wasn't fatally injured and is now stable and recovering in the hospital. 

Raven, however, needed emergency surgery but is now recovering and reportedly doing much better. There's no further information on his health status for now.

The three officers who shot at Drattlo are Daniel Lee, Eduardo Valenzuela, and Kyle Walker. All three men are reportedly veteran officers in the police department and were acting within their duties. 

The news statement also confirmed that Drattlo will face multiple felony charges upon his release, including harming a work/service animal.