New York State Police K-9 Dies in Friendly Fire Incident

A New York State Police dog named after a trooper killed in the line of duty has died in a friendly fire incident while being attacked by a pit bull.

State police say troopers were helping the Lewis County Sheriff's Office search a residence in the eastern Adirondacks late Monday night when a pit bull ran out of the house and began attacking Trooper Shaun Smith's K-9 partner, a 3-year-old Belgian-Malinois named Will.

Officials say Smith shot the pit bull in the leg. Troopers say it appears the bullet ricocheted off the ground and hit Will in the stomach. The K-9 died at a veterinary clinic.

Will graduated from state police K-9 school in April. He was named after Trooper William Doyle, who was fatally shot by escapees from a psychiatric institution in 1967.