Officers pay respects to Ohio police dog killed in shooting

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Police officers in Ohio have paid their respects to a police dog killed in the line of duty.

Several hundred people attended a memorial service in Toledo today for Falko, a German Shepherd shot last week while chasing a suspected car thief inside a vacant home.

Authorities said Falko died from a single shot fired by the suspect who was wanted on a murder warrant in Cleveland.

Several hundred people including many officers gathered for the service at a downtown arena.

Toledo’s police chief said at the service that the 2-year-old canine wasn’t just a dog and that his purpose was to help others.

The dog’s handler says he was always ready to go to work. She put Falko’s ashes in her cruiser at the end of the service.