The Orange Police Department is mourning the death of its police dog named Major after a truck struck and killed him in the line of duty on Saturday morning.
The K-9 and his handler Officer Chris Brown were responding to a disabled vehicle on Route 34 near Sodom Lane Saturday when a commercial truck ran into Major, killing him instantly.
Brown was not injured in the incident.
Major, nearly 2 years old, graduated from the Connecticut State Police 166th Patrol Dog Class a month ago in June. While his role as a police dog was short-lived, Major "assisted in several tracks" and served as "an integral part of the Patrol Division and the Orange Police family," the Orange Police Department said in a news release on Saturday.
"Our entire Department is deeply saddened by this sudden and tragic accident," Orange Police Chief Robert Gagne said in a statement. "Officer Brown and K-9 Major made a great team and we are all concentrating on giving Chris our full support at this difficult time.
Police said the truck driver stopped at the crash scene after hitting the police dog and that the department doesn't anticipate any charges. The name of the driver has not been released at this time. The accident remains under investigation, police said.
