Memorial to be held Friday for police K-9 who died after cruiser stopped running

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A service will be held Friday for the fallen HPD K-9 Officer Aron, who died when the cruiser he was in stopped running on Monday.

The video above is from a previous report.

The memorial honoring the fallen officer will be held at 8:30 a.m. near the reflection pond area at the Houston Police Academy L.D. Morrison Sr. Memorial Center at 17000 Aldine Westfield Road.

K-9 Aron was 4 years old and had 1.5 years of service when he died on June 12.

According to police, Aron's handler left him in a "running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle, which is a necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work."

The statement continued, "When Aron's police handler returned to the vehicle, it was discovered that the engine had shut off and Aron was in distress. He was transported to an emergency veterinarian clinic but ultimately succumbed to the heat."

Police explained that K-9 units are typically equipped with a system that notifies the handler, sounds the horn, activates cooling fans, and rolls down the window in the event the vehicle shuts down. However, this did not happen, HPD said.