Hundreds honor K-9 cop murdered in Nebraska standoff

OMAHA, NE (KTRK) -- Hundreds of people in Nebraska turned out Thursday to pay their respects to a police dog that was killed in the line of duty.

K-9 Kobus died trying to save the lives of his fellow officers last Saturday during a shootout between a suspect and Omaha police.

Officers were attempting to serve Mark L'heureux with a mental health warrant.

L'heureux faces charges of attempted first degree homicide, use of a weapon to commit a felony and one count of harassment of a police animal.

"Shots rang out, but I charged ahead," Sgt. Aaron Hansen began, reading a poem he wrote for Kobus called 'I Wag My Tail.'

"But for this fight, I was bred. My life was broad, I did not fail. As I see God, I wag my tail."

Community members gathered at Christ Community Church, where the honor guard held flags and local families line the way to show their support.

"He is another police officer, a four-legged one, but he does things that we don't want to do," Mills County K-9 handler Josh England says. "He put himself in danger to save the life of a human."

K-9 handlers from across the state came to show officer Matt McKinney, his family and the department their respects.

Officer McKinney, who was Kobus' handler, was overwhelmed by the support.

"Once he was in the cruiser, he was home," McKinney says. "He was ready to work, everyday...Am really gonna miss those."

"The decision to send Kobus into the standoff on Saturday was a tough one, but the right one. We know we sent the right dog."