Died \u2013 2\/20\/24
\nHandler – Cpl. Justin Tortora<\/p>\n
K9 shot defending Marion County deputies dies from injuries<\/p>\n
K9 Leo, a 4-year-old Belgian Sheppard trained by the Marion County Sheriff\u2019s Office, has died after being shot in the line of duty.\u201cI want to thank you for the overwhelming support, prayers, and encouragement during this difficult time,\u201d said Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods.Leo was shot Saturday morning while defending his handler and other deputies, according to the sheriff\u2019s office.\u201cLeo did exactly what he was trained to do,\u201d Woods said. \u201cAnd that is to fearlessly defend and protect those deputies. To charge directly at danger.\u201dOfficials said the suspect, 44-year-old Jeremy Bradsher, shot Leo as he was hiding in a backyard.Deputies soon returned fire and killed Bradsher.Leo was taken to a veterinary hospital in Gainesville for treatment.\u201cOver the last few days, Leo maintained that fighting spirit. However, Leo\u2019s injuries were too severe to overcome this morning, and his passing will be felt by all of us here in my office and in our community,\u201d Woods said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died \u2013 2\/20\/24 Handler – Cpl. Justin Tortora K9 shot defending Marion County deputies dies from injuries K9 Leo, a 4-year-old Belgian Sheppard trained by the Marion County Sheriff\u2019s Office, has died after being shot in the line of duty.\u201cI want to thank you for the overwhelming support, prayers, and encouragement during this difficult time,\u201d …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-15677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-fl"],"yoast_head":"\n