A K-9 was stabbed to death by MS-13 gang members while heroically protecting a corrections officer and another inmate during an attack at a Virginia prison, officials said.
Three inmates affiliated with the MS-13 gang at Sussex I State Prison viciously attacked a fellow prisoner in a housing unit on Tuesday while a fourth inmate supervised, according to Virginia Department of Corrections.
Corrections Officer Kharmishia Phillip Fields and her assigned K-9 Rivan were in the area and responded to the assault.
In the ensuing clash, the dog “was violently and repeatedly stabbed and kicked by the inmates,” VADOC said. He later died at the facility despite lifesaving measures.
“The loss of Rivan is truly tragic, but it is important to remember he did not die in vain.” VADOC Director Chad Dotson said in a statement. “He lost his life while potentially saving the lives of two people, his assigned Officer and an inmate. The VADOC will never forget Rivan’s sacrifice.”
The attacked inmate was taken to a local hospital for treatment and was later returned to the prison.
Fields, a trained K-9 handler and 4-year veteran of the Department, sustained no serious injury thanks to his loyal partner.
All of the four inmates involved in the attack are from El Salvador and Guatemala and at least three are confirmed members of the deadly MS-13 gang, officials said.
They were all in the US illegally at the time of their arrests, and are facing a laundry list of charges including first degree homicide, attempted rape, kidnapping/abduction, malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, child pornography charges, grand larceny and drug possession.
They are expected to face additional charges after Tuesday’s attack. The investigation is ongoing, according to the VADOC.
“The safety of our corrections team is our agency’s top priority,” Dotson said. “Officer Phillip Fields has the agency’s full support during this difficult time and I personally wish her well in her recovery. The heroics she displayed during this brutal assault demonstrate her courage, her commitment to public safety, and her care for the safety of the inmate population.”
Rivan, a Belgian Malinos, would have turned 6 on April 30. He joined and was certified by the VADOC in July 2019.
The dog’s father worked as a police dog at a department in Southwest Virginia and his mother worked for the Secret Service.
A memorial service is being arranged for Rivan.