St. Paul police shoot and kill man after he stabs police dog to death

KARE 11 screengrab

Kody died in the line of duty yesterday. And a man was killed, too.

A horrible scene unfolded on the 700 block of Aurora Avenue in St. Paul yesterday. A dog assisting police as they tried to apprehend a man wanted on sex crime charges was stabbed to death by the suspect, who was then shot to death by police.

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Comments made by St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. Paul Paulos suggest the knife-wielding man was shot and killed by police from 20 feet away.

From the Pioneer Press:

St. Paul PD

Members of the U.S. Marshals Service's North Star Fugitive Task Force, including St. Paul police officers, deputy marshals and Ramsey County sheriff's deputies, were seeking the man and had conducted surveillance on a home in the 700 block of Aurora Avenue and confirmed the suspect was there, Paulos said.

At about 1:50 p.m., officers entered the home and found the man in the basement, Paulos said. The suspect grabbed Kody and stabbed the dog multiple times, Paulos said. Police shot the man, who died at the scene.

"People will say, 'Well, the dog got stabbed, what is the danger there?' " Paulos said. "The danger is imminent. They're within 21 feet of striking distance. It's a very dangerous situation, not just for the K-9 himself, but the officers in general."

Kody, a 9-year-old German Shepard who served as a police dog for seven years, was eulogized as "a family member" and "one of our own" by Paulos. He died on the way to the vet.

Meanwhile, the sex assault suspect's name hasn't yet been released.