Houston police K-9 'Aron' dies inside hot vehicle

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Houston Police Department (Houston Police Department / FOX 26 Houston)

HOUSTON - The Houston Police Department has confirmed that a K-9 died in a ‘tragic accident’ on Monday afternoon. 

According to a statement: HPD K-9 Aron, who is 4-years-old with one and half years of service at the department, passed away from heat exhaustion. 

The statement said, "the handler left Aron 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. 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."

Officials said, "HPD K-9 vehicle share equipped with a system that notifies the handler, sounds the horn, activates cooling fans, and rolls down the car windows, if for some reason the vehicle shuts down. This did not happen in this instance. HPD is investigating the tragedy to determine what went wrong and to prevent this from happening in the future. All HPD vehicles that transport K-9s will immediately be inspected by the vendor to ensure the systems are working properly. 

Please keep Aron's handler and the entire K-9 team in your prayers as they mourn the loss of Aron."