Tragedy struck in front of a local pizzeria and it resulted in a heartbreaking loss.

Police officers pledge their lives to protect and serve their communities. And with this oath, they put themselves at risk and in danger to make sure the streets are safe.

Recently, police and the staff of a local establishment had to face this harsh reality when chaos erupted in the area.

“There was a lot of gunshots, a lot of yelling. It was just chaos,” employee Hannah Streble recalled to WLKY.

It was late evening when the staff at Daddio’s Pizza in Lebanon Junction heard gunshots.

The staff ran into the pizzeria’s backroom after a police officer barged into their doors with instructions to lockdown.

“He said ‘Lock the doors and get away from the doors and windows, just to be safe.’ They were everywhere. There were cops everywhere,” Crystal Engle told WLKY.

The staff had no choice but to barricade themselves in. Outside the establishment, a situation was escalating into something much more dangerous.

Earlier that evening, police officers were responding to a shoplifting report.

The alert came from Dollar General on Preston Highway. As soon as the suspect saw the Lebanon Junction officer who responded to the scene, he began firing shots in the officer’s direction.

The situation turned into a chase. The suspect, who hoped to evade arrest, took off running with the police in hot pursuit. According to the police, the suspect only made it about a quarter-mile from where he started because of the skills of a Lebanon Junction police officer – Police K-9 Dash.

Police K-9 Dash tracked the suspect down to South Polar Street,

With nowhere else to run, the suspect hid in a corner and waited. That’s when tragedy struck.

“Officer Schank had him on a lead so he was right there with him. It was a blind corner, I can say that. So, the guy was around the corner waiting,” Shepherdsville police Chief Rick McCubbin told WLKY. Their team was called in to assist in the case.

Police K-9 Dash was shot.

Police officers on the scene returned fire, hitting the suspect several times. He was then arrested and was rushed to University Hospital. However, K-9 Dash did not survive his injuries.

WDRB News Alert: Police in Lebanon Junction have parts of Oak St near Main blocked off as part of a KSP officer-involved shooting investigation. Details are limited but the scene spans several blocks. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/BIqs8GLFrd

— Breon Martin (@BreonMartin) March 10, 2022

Chief McCubbin credits Dash for saving the lives of the other officers at the scene, especially his handler.

“I think we were 3 seconds from having a completely different press conference, that’s how quickly it happened, how close they were. The officer that came around the corner, I have no doubt he would have shot our officer,” he said to the news outlet.

Police K-9 Dash had been working with the department since 2018.

Since then, he had also been participating in community engagement activities along with law enforcement. Until the end, Dash stayed true to the task he was set out to do – keeping people safe.

Chief McCubbin has asked for the flags to be lowered at half-staff to honor Dash.

Hear more about this heartbreaking story in the video below.

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Source: YouTube -WHAS11, WLKY, Twitter – @BreonMartin, Facebook – South Florida Cops