Hialeah Police honored two police dogs who died in a hot car in May after an off-duty officer left them inside a marked police vehicle.
According to investigators, Officer Nelson Enriquez had just finished an overnight shift when he parked his marked police vehicle outside his Davie home. He later realized that he left the dogs inside the vehicle, but it was too late. "Jimmy," a 7-year-old Bloodhound, and "Hector," a 4-year-old Belgium Malinois, were found dead.
"The Hialeah Police Department is extremely saddened by this unfortunate occurrence and every effort will be made to determine the cause of this terrible tragedy which claimed the lives of two very beloved members of our Hialeah Police family," the department said in a statement.
Officer Enriquez, a 13-year veteran of the department who has been a K-9 handler for the past seven years, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Both the Hialeah and Davie Police Departments are investigating.
The K-9s were taken to the University of Florida in Gainesville to undergo necropsies. They are being escorted by members of the Hialeah Police Honor Guard and Motormen detail, officials said.
