'Aron was in distress': HPD K-9 officer perishes in unit after handler's engine shuts off

The Houston Police Department (HPD) is mourning the loss of a canine (K-9) officer after the animal perished inside its handler’s patrol unit, per reports from Houston-based media outlets. 

HPD said K-9 Aron died from heat exhaustion on Monday, adding the death was accidental.

Aron was 4 years old and had been on the force for nearly one-and-a-half years, according to a report from Houston NPR affiliate Houston Public Media (HPM).

"The handler left Aron in a running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle, which is a necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work," HPD said in a statement obtained by HPM. "When Aron's police handler returned to the vehicle, it was discovered that the engine had shut off and Aron was in distress. He was transported to an emergency veterinarian clinic but ultimately succumbed to the heat."

Aron’s death is lamented as a “tragedy” by his human counterparts in the force.

Houston Police Officers’ Union (HPOU) President Douglas Griffith told Houston CBS affiliate KHOU the late Aron was a common fixture at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) where the K-9 worked as part of the bomb-sniffing unit.

The station reported that it was close to the Bush Airport Training Facility where Aron was found.

HPD said in its statement Aron’s handler should’ve been alerted immediately after the engine in his vehicle shut off, KHOU reported.

Houston is currently in the throes of temperatures soaring past the century mark, with Aron’s former workplace, the city’s so-called “Big Airport,” experiencing the failure of its air conditioning (AC) system, according to a Houston Daily report. 

The publication reported IAH brought in portable AC units and temporary chillers to help passengers stay cool amid the heat wave. 

Airport officials attributed the breakdown to “unexpected issues” that purportedly occurred over the weekend.