Chief Myron Demkiw is reflecting on the “unique bond” between a police dog and their handler following the fatal on duty shooting of a two-year old German Shepherd named Bingo on Monday night.
The dog was killed while attempting to help apprehend a murder suspect in Toronto’s west end shortly after 8 p.m.
Investigators have previously said that the suspect, a 44-year-old man, shot at officers who arrived at an apartment building in the area of Dixon Road and Kipling Avenue with the intention of taking him into custody.
He then fled the scene but was later located in the backyard of a home on Kingsview Boulevard.
It is alleged that the suspect shot Bingo at some point, though it is not immediately clear where or when.
“I think it is important to acknowledge there is a unique bond between a police dog handler and their dog,” Denkiw said during an unrelated news conference on Wednesday morning. “They work together for many, many weeks in their training and they are bonded from an early age with that dog, they live with those dogs and they become part of their immediate family. So there is a very unique bond that happens there and in this case Bingo was partnered with Sgt. Smith (his handler) for a little over half a year and Bingo had successfully made a number of apprehensions, helping to keep our community safe.”
Police have said that Bingo joined Police Dog Services in July 2022 and graduated from an extensive training program in December.
To watch a video of Denkiw’s full comments use the video player at the top of this article.
