A routine traffic stop over a fictitious number plate ended in tragedy recently when a K-9 officer named Blitz was shot and killed near Mt. Gilead in North Carolina. A loyal member of the Wadesboro Police Department, Blitz was deployed into action after the traffic stop escalated into a 20-mile chase, in pursuit of suspect Lewis Davis, who sped off after being instructed to stop.
What compounds the tragic nature of the incident, is the fact that Blitz died after apprehending the suspect in question. Specifically, after Blitz took down the suspect, he allegedly turned on the dog’s handler, injuring them. Sadly, officers reportedly had to shoot the dog during the altercation.
Adding an extra layer of context to the entire incident, however, is a statement from Josh Harrington who allegedly donated Blitz, a German Shepherd, to the Wadesboro Police Department as a “not certified to bite” K-9 in order to help curb drug crime in the area. In fact, Blitz was apparently never intended to “be deployed for bites due to liability reasons and would only be used for narcotics detection and tracking.”
The full statement from Josh Harrington’s Facebook post is as follows:
It’s easy to blame a dog that cannot talk, we as humans must be their voice.
It is with a heavy heart, holding back tears out of frustration and sadness that i talk about Blitz today in the Afterlife.
The entire Police K-9 Community is in shock today. They are outraged. I am outraged.
The facts…
On 01/31/2025 Wadesboro PD took possession of Blitz.
On 04/02/2025 EOW – He was shot and killed by his own allies.
I donated Wadesboro Police Dept Blitz for $0 and not a thing in return. Not even a penny to help re-start their K-9 Program.
I did this to help the drug issue in their community, to help make Wadesboro a safer place.
I did this under the agreement that they agreed to. That he would never be used for apprehension, Blitz was only to be used for narcotic searches to show results of k-9’s to their community and gain support with the city council in order to get more canines onto the streets of Wadesboro to further help the community. They shattered this in less than 3 months.
This Agency denied all training opportunities that were offered free of charge. They picked him up and never looked back.
This agency took it upon themselves to do “Bite training” on their own. (Which explains why they did not want me to know what they were doing, and why they did not accept any of my offers for free training).
They put him into this situation and executed him for doing what he should not have been doing.
Blitz nor the handler were certified by any organization, nor were they trained to apprehend by any professional Police Canine facility.
When i went to the Wadesboro Police Dept to speak with the Chief, he lied right to my face about the facts of what happened to Blitz. Deputies and officers on-scene told me the truth.
I was told by the handler that Blitz would be gettingg a new patrol car with a cage. This was also untrue. They rode him around on patrol in the back seat of a 2000’s crown vic. This is very dangerous for the k-9 in pursuit’s in which he was involved. Yet another lie.
I was told that they “tazed” blitz. This was also untrue. They simply mag dumped him.
They tried to blame the dog. This is not on the dog; it is on the agency.
This rogue agency lied to me, defrauded me.
They are negligent and murdered a Police K-9.
I acted in good faith for the betterment of the citizens of Wadesboro.
They mag dumped him.
They killed a Police Officer.
Blitz is a Hero. His name will not be tarnished, give my boy the send off he deserves with a proper Funeral and let me carry him one last time, as they do not deserve the Honor.
Of course, due to the sensitive nature of the topic, the post has sparked outrage amongst residents within Wadesboro, and beyond. Over on Facebook, a commenter expressed their anger, writing, “This is absolutely disgusting. Wadesboro Police Department needs to be held responsible for this and never deserves to have a “K-9 unit”, if you even want to call it that considering they weren’t certified, ever again. Legal actions better be taken!!” Meanwhile, over on Reddit, one user simply penned, “Outrageous. They don’t deserve dogs.”
While the community of Wadesboro mourn the loss of their loyal K-9 officer, questions are being asked as to how such a tragedy could occur, and if there could’ve been a way to avoid it. An internal investigation is still ongoing.
