By Rafael A. Olmeda
The Sun-Sentinel
MIAMI — A K-9 dog from the Broward Sheriff’s Office was shot to death early today by a man who deputies had chased from Oakland Park to outside a Miami Beach hospital, authorities said.
 Oozi, a K-9 dog from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, was shot to death by a man who deputies had chased from Oakland Park to outside a Miami Beach hospital, authorities said. (Broward Sheriff’s Office) |
The suspect, identified as Delvin Lewis, 27, suffered non-life threatening injuries during a gun battle with deputies and was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a report of gunfire in the 300 block of Northeast 35th Court in Oakland Park about 12:30 a.m.
“It appears the incident began as a domestic dispute, where the boyfriend fired his weapon and fled the scene (the girlfriend was not injured),” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Lewis fled the scene, but was spotted by police at Commercial Boulevard and Interstate 95.
He was trailed to the parking lot of Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, where Lewis opened fire and killed the police dog, named Oozi, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The 7½-year-old Belgian malinois was assigned to the Sheriff Office’s Cooper City district.
Detective Nelda Fonticiella, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, said she was there when the dead dog was removed.
Officers at the scene consoled and embraced the dog’s handler, she said.
“These dogs are trained to put their lives on the line to protect their partners,” Fonticiella said. “There’s obviously a very close bond that develops between them. There has to be.”
Lewis was in stable condition, Fonticiella said.
No information was available on charges against Lewis.
Oozi had been trained in narcotics, but he was mainly a patrol dog, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Keyla Concepción said.
He helped with hundreds of criminal apprehensions throughout his career. So far this year, he helped with at least 35, Concepción said.
Oozi’s handler, Deputy Gerald Wengert, was named the Sheriff’s Office Cooper City Employee of the Month for January 2007 for his work with the dog.
“As a result of the hard work and remarkable instinct of both Deputy Wengert and his K9 Oozi, several arrests were made in regards to burglaries to both residents and businesses in Cooper City. Deputy Wengert is commended for his outstanding acts of bravery and tracking dangerous criminals, making our streets safe,” a message on the Sheriff’s Office Web site says.
Copyright 2008 The Sun-Sentinel