South Carolina K-9 Handler Suspended for Dog's "Hot Car" Death

Officer David Hurt of the Columbia (SC) Police Department has been suspended without pay for five days for leaving his partner—a Labrador retriever mix named "Turbo"—in a patrol vehicle where the dog was exposed to extreme heat and later died.

According to ABC11-TV , Officer Hurt was receiving active shooter training at a high school and decided to leave Turbo in the car because of the loud sounds and crowds.

When Hurt returned to his vehicle at the end of the day, Turbo had white foam around his mouth and was listless. Hurt immediately recognized the dog was suffering from heat stress and took it to a veterinarian. The dog was put to sleep two days later after suffering organ failure, according to the report.

Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said that he did not fire Hurt because he immediately took responsibility for his grave error.