CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that K9 Officer Waro had not yet received the vest before his death.
A K-9 officer in Clayton County was sadly shot and killed Saturday after a teenager was accused of opening fire on the dog and running from police before being killed in gunfire by officers.
K-9 Waro was notified that he would have received a bulletproof and stab protective vest a little over a week ago, on Aug. 24, thanks to a charitable donation from the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.
Waro was just a 2-year-old male German Shepherd who was born in Slovakia and was trained in patrol and detection before being paired with his handler, Sgt. James Williams in March 2021. Waro was later trained with the National Narcotics Detector Dog Association for drug patrol and detection.
The Clayton County Police dog was shot in the back, completely missing the protective vest, where he suffered from internal injuries before going into cardiac arrest and dying, Clayton County Police Assistant Chief Bruce Parks said. Parks said they were rushing to life-flight Waro to the hospital before he died.
The suspect, 17-year-old Stephon Ford, was being pursued by officers when he raised a gun at them. That's when officers shot the teen, killing him. Police said two others who were wanted in a suspicious call were caught, but Ford kept escaping officers.
When the K9 officer found the suspect, officers said they verbally commanded him to surrender, but the teen began shooting at them. Clayton Police said that's when Waro died.
News happens fast. Download our 11Alive News app for all the latest breaking updates, and sign up for our Speed Feed newsletter to get a rundown of the latest headlines across north Georgia.