MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Community members gathered Wednesday to honor the life of a brave Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office K-9 who sadly lost her life from injuries sustained in a crash while on duty.
Full honors were given for a fallen hero.
“She’s a police officer in our eyes just like a human, and we hope that today we can show everyone that we honor her and we miss her,” said MDSO Sgt. Samantha Machado, of the agency’s K-9 narcotics unit.
Multiple officers, both human and K-9 alike, from various agencies came in solidarity.
“They all feel the same way we do — that she’s one of us,” Machado added.
K-9 Roxi, an eight-and-a-half-year-old yellow Labrador, started in the Miami-Dade Narcotics Unit in 2017.
She died in late January from injuries sustained during a pursuit. That chase ended on the Dolphin Expressway, the result of a months-long undercover narcotics investigation.
Deputies tried arresting the alleged supplier. He took off, and at one point, deputies say he hit the K-9 SUV that Roxi and her handler were in, sending them crashing into a wall.
“There’s a bond between the K-9 and the K-9 handler that is like no other bond, and to lose your partner in a tragic crash is just beyond words,” Machado said.
Deputy Jared Hahn, Roxi’s handler, was also injured in the crash and attended the memorial.
The sheriff described their relationship as an “unbreakable bond of true love,” dedicated to protecting and serving their community.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with her. She was amazing,” Machado said.
Roxi’s name is now etched among the other K-9s killed in the line of duty.