A cop from Massachusettes was forced to shoot his own police dog at a crime scene recently.

Department officials explain how a Veteran cop from Plymouth, Keith Larson, gunned down his own K-9 partner when the latter attacked him on duty. The German Shepherd dog’s name was Nico and this was the second time that he attacked the officer.

The entire incident took place at a crime scene which was a parking lot, to be more specific. And that’s when Police Chief Michael Botieri revealed how the suspect fled during the incident.

While the officer prepped up the police dog for the call, he bit him. It marked the second occasion for the dog to carry out an attack of that severity, in this year.

Police confirmed how the officer attempted to remove the K-9 off the dog before he used his service weapon to shoot him. In the same way, reports suggested how Larson received severe injuries to his hands, and hence was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Media sources explained how the officer is expected to be released on Tuesday, after a final medical examination.

Police chief Botieri explained to reporters how it wasn’t an easy decision for Larson to make. “I’m sure you all realize how hard it is for a K-9 officer to actually dispatch their own dog like that.” In addition, he mentioned how the incident took place in a mere 30 to 45 seconds. And while that may seem like a short time for many, it’s actually quite a long time that he went through that.

The last time Nico bit Larson was way back in April. And that was when he deployed the dog. On the other hand, the police chief confirmed how Larson carries an exemplary service record and is also the department’s vet.

They have no reports about the duo not getting along. They always worked together as a team and this incident was no exception. It’s just unfortunate how it all ended like this.