Donations and messages of condolence were being accepted Tuesday in the wake of the friendly fire death of a Long Beach K-9 service dog during a struggle with a knife-wielding suspect who was also fatally wounded.
The death of Credo, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois who had been with the Long Beach Police Department for two years, occurred about 9 a.m. Tuesday after officers were called to apprehend a man wanted in connection with a December 2014 gang-related shooting that left three men with non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect, who was considered armed and dangerous, had been spotted by members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force that includes Long Beach police. He ran from the area of 16th Street and Temple Avenue to the apartment of an acquaintance in the 2800 block of East 15th Street, according to the LBPD.
The area was surrounded and a Long Beach police SWAT team was summoned.
Nearby residences were evacuated and the suspect was ordered to exit the apartment, police said.
The man exited, but failed to comply with verbal commands and instead “began to aggressively charge the officers,” according to a police statement.
Officers deployed “intermediate force options,” including a 40mm rubber baton round and the canine Credo, who was attached to the SWAT team.
Credo tried to stop the man’s advance toward officers and as the dog fought with the suspect, the man produced a knife and one officer discharged his weapon to protect himself and his colleagues, police said.
Both the suspect and Credo were struck by that officer’s gunfire, but police have not said if the dog’s handler, 23-year Long Beach Police Department veteran Mike Parcells, fired the fatal shots.
A knife was recovered at the scene.
Following the shooting, an officer was seen carrying Credo’s limp body from the scene and placing the canine on a sidewalk.
The officer, believed to be Parcells, was visibly angry and shaken, ripping off his helmet and hurling it away before burying his head in his hand.
The dog was then placed into a patrol car and driven by Parcells to a nearby animal hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect was treated by paramedics at the scene and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. His name was being withheld pending family notification.
He was one of three suspects who police say were involved in the 2014 shooting. One, 32-year-old Ren Sry, was arrested after he crashed during a police chase following the shooting and is awaiting trial on attempted murder and other charges.
The man killed by police on Tuesday fled that crash scene with another suspect who remains outstanding. He was later identified and three counts of attempted murder were filed against him and a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to the LBPD.
Parcells has been a K-9 handler for 16 years. Another of his police dog partners, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois named Ranger, was fatally shot Oct. 2, 2005, while police tried to flush an armed parolee from a hiding spot under a porch.
“These K-9s are not just dogs. These are police officers. This dog was injured in the performance of his duty and that’s going to weigh heavily on the Long Beach police family,” LBPD Deputy Chief Richard Conant said.
Credo worked patrol and narcotics operations primarily, and was involved in more than 30 apprehensions in his police career.
Memorial service arrangements for the fallen service dog were pending, police said.
Donations can be made to the Long Beach K9 Officers Association by visiting its website at www.lbk9oa.org and condolence messages to Parcells can be sent to: K-9 Detail, 400 W. Broadway, Long Beach, Calif., 90802.
–City News Service