Gary Police K-9 Falco killed in the line of duty

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GARY — A police K-9 was killed in the line of duty Thursday while trying to help catch a suspect in the Glen Park neighborhood.

During a traffic stop on the 1000 block of 35th Court, shots were fired at K-9 Falco and his handler, Officer Angel Lozano, as they chased the fleeing subject. Lozano was not injured.

The 29-year-old suspect was taken into custody. He was wanted by police for aggravated battery and criminal recklessness, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said.

“Unfortunately, shots fired is an all-familiar phrase we hear on our airways," Gary Chief Anthony Titus said at a news conference Thursday night at the Police Department. "It is 'officer down' we’ll never get used to."

Falco was an eight-year veteran of the Gary Police Department, Titus said. During his time with Gary police, he helped seize numerous guns and drugs off the street, helped find several missing children and endangered adults, and assisted federal agencies in the area.

He was deployed to assist in more than 1,000 incidents.

"This department and the citizens of Gary lost a true hero today," Titus said.

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K-9 Falco

Gary police K-9 Falco was shot and killed Thursday in Gary's Glen Park neighborhood while helping his handler, Officer Angel Lozano, apprehend a suspect.

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