A Franklin County Sheriff's Office canine named Officer Major is dead after being hit by gunfire during a shootout over the weekend.
On Sunday morning, shots were fired while officers were investigating an armed robbery near Oxford, authorities say. Granville County sheriff's deputies learned the suspect was hiding in the crawl space of a Antioch home, and Franklin County Sheriff's Office deputies helped in a search, according to The Associated Press.
The robbery suspect started shooting at law enforcement while hiding out in the house's crawl space, according to officials. Authorities exchanged gunfire with the suspect, and Major was killed in the shootout, police said.
The suspect was arrested, and no one else was hurt.
“Our condolences go out to our partners at the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, after K9 Major was shot and killed by an armed robbery suspect on Sunday,” the Franklin County Emergency Communications posted on their Facebook page. "Today, we kneel for his family and for our brothers that worked with him. Tomorrow, we will stand for him."