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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says a K-9 named Graffit passed away after getting shot by a suspect near the Colorado School of Mines.

“Today we mourn the loss of our K9, Graffit, who was shot & killed while assisting the Golden Police Department and Colorado School of Mines with a search for an armed suspect in the area of 6th Ave & 19th St. We’ve always known Graffit was brave; today he proved a hero. RIP Good Boy. We will miss you,” the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office shared.

Graffit had been with the JCSO since 2015 and was trained in suspect apprehension.

Condolences for the loss of Graffit

Here are some of the other condolences:

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to K9 Graffit’s partner, his family and the men and women of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Thank you K9 Graffit for your service and sacrifice. Rest Easy!” the Westminster Police Department shared.

“We’re so sorry for the loss of JCSO K9 Graffit. Our hearts are with his handler, and all of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office as they mourn this loss. K9 Graffit was a brave boy. Rest in Peace,” the Boulder Police Department shared.

“Very sad news again this morning. We are thinking of all affected by this,” Fort Collins Police shared.

“Our county partners at Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office lost their loyal & dedicated K-9 Graffit this morning, as did his job trying to keep his human teammates safe during a high risk contact. Graffit has been a providing great service to his community with his Deputy partner for many years,” the Lakewood Police Department shared.

What led to the shooting?

The Golden Police Department said that officers tried to contact a driver near 19th and Elm Street.

When officers approached the driver, they found the man slumped over his steering wheel and unresponsive.

GPD said that once the driver woke up, he started driving at a slow speed and swerved into oncoming traffic before stopping at 19th Street and Tangent Way.

After that, the driver slumped over again. Police said they tried to wake him up a second time, and when he did, he started ramming into patrol cars to try and escape.

GPD tried to get the man out of the car, but he escaped and ran away. While he was running, police said he pointed a handgun at an officer and then went into the woods near the Colorado School of Mines.

The Colorado School of Mines was placed under a shelter-in-place order.

While tracking the armed man, GPD said a K-9 was ordered to help catch him. The man allegedly fired shots striking and killing the K-9. A JCSO deputy fired back at the suspect, and he went into hiding.

Eventually, the suspect came out of hiding and surrendered. His gun was located nearby, GPD said. No other officers or people were injured.

The incident is being investigated by the School of Mine’s Police Department and the 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Critical Incident Response Team.