Louisiana police K9 dies of heat-related injury while heroically chasing down suspects

SHREVEPORT, La. – The Shreveport, Louisiana, police department is mourning the loss of one of its K9s that died of a heat-related injury after chasing down suspects on Saturday.

In a Facebook post, the Shreveport Police Department said K9 handler Sgt. Jeff Hammer and his partner K9 Harrie began to assist patrol officers in locating suspects who fled from a stolen vehicle just after 4 p.m. on June 24.

Police said Harrie relentlessly tracked the suspects and suffered from the heat-related injury during the pursuit.

Harrie was immediately rushed to a local veterinary hospital, but despite all efforts to save him, he died of that injury.

Harrie was a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois and served the citizens of Shreveport since 2018, according to police.

In the Facebook post, police said that at one point, Harrie was thought to be a “lost cause” but was assigned to Hammer, who is a long-time K9 handler and animal lover.

With the help of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office K9 trainers, Hammer was able to turn Harrie into an “exceptional” K9 partner that began assisting in training other police K9s.

Harrie then became one of the most sought-after K9s in the area, according to police.

“Please keep Sergeant Hammer, the K9 team, and everyone who loved Harrie in your thought and prayers,” police said in the Facebook post.

Dangerously hot temperatures have been baking the South for nearly two weeks, and Shreveport’s high temperatures have been soaring into the 90s with “feels-like” temperatures well above 100 degrees.