Virginia prison officials stated that a K-9 was “heroically” killed while safeguarding a correctional officer who was responding to a violent assault allegedly perpetrated by gang members.
Rivan, a Belgian Malinois aged five, were “violently and repeatedly stabbed and kicked” by the inmates involved in the assault, the Virginia Department of Corrections said in a news release on Wednesday.
Despite life-saving measures, Rivan succumbed to his injuries.
Gang Violence Erupts
The department reported that on Tuesday, three inmates affiliated with the MS-13 gang assaulted another inmate inside a housing unit at Sussex I State Prison. An additional inmate appeared to be supervising the assault.
The department stated in a news release that Corrections Officer Kharmishia Phillip Fields and Rivan, her assigned K-9, were working in the area when they responded to prevent the assault and defend the inmates.
Phillip Fields, a four-year veteran of the department, did not sustain injuries “due to her training and Rivan’s courageous actions,” according to the news release. Rivan sustained injuries.
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Corrections Officer and K-9 Intervene to Halt Prison Assault
The assault was stopped by corrections officers, and the injured inmate was transported to a hospital for treatment before being readmitted to the penitentiary, as stated by the department.
While the department’s statement refrained from explicitly naming the involved detainees, it did indicate that a minimum of three of them were confirmed members of MS-13.
When they were apprehended and convicted, all four were in the United States unlawfully, according to the department. They were formerly detained on a variety of offenses, including attempted rape, first-degree homicide, and counts associated with child sexual abuse images.
Amidst an investigation, the department stated that it intended to pursue prosecution of the inmates to the utmost extent of the law and that no further information would be provided.
The Republican governor of Maryland, Glenn Youngkin, declared on social media that “barbaric MS-13 members will be held accountable.”
Since his sixth birthday on April 30, Rivan had been an employee of the department. The organization of a memorial service is underway.
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