Coweta County K-9 officer killed during chase honored during service

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - Coweta County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Titan received the full fallen officer treatment Friday afternoon.

"We’re so proud of his service," said Coweta County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Mark Storey.

While you may say Titan is just a dog, for members of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, he was a hero who saved the lives of the law enforcement officers with him that day.

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"Because of K-9 Titan, a mother still has her son, a wife still has her husband, and a baby that's still on the way will have a daddy," Sgt. Storey said.

Titan was killed earlier this month after a high-speed chase ended in Fairburn.

The GBI says Coweta County deputies tried to pull Jason Wilson over for a registration violation, but he ran. Investigators say when they stopped him, Wilson opened fire and killed Titan. Deputies fired back and killed Wilson. A bullet also grazed Titan’s handler of just a few weeks.

"Although the team was only together for a short period of time, they made a lasting impact on me and I'm sure everyone here," Sgt. Storey said.

The sheriff’s office says Titan was trained in search and rescue, detection, and apprehension. Titan's death comes a little over a year after Coweta’s K-9 Kilo was shot when he charged an armed motorist. Kilo survived and returned to duty a few months later.

Dozens of law enforcement officers from throughout the Atlanta area gathered at Unity Baptist Church in Coweta County to honor the fallen K-9.

"It's heartbreaking to lose an officer or a deputy in any way, but to lose them under these circumstances, it just makes it much worse," said Coweta County Sheriff Lenn Wood.

Since the incident, Titan’s handler, Deputy Blaize Henderson, has been off the streets recovering. The sheriff says he should return to work next week.