Coweta County Deputy Henderson returns with new K9 partner

Injured deputy returns with new K-9 partner

We have an update on a story out of Coweta County on a sheriff’s office K-9 killed in the line of duty last year. His handler who was injured in the scene shootout with an armed motorist is back on the streets after completing training with a new K-9 partner.

ATLANTA - We have an update on a story out of Coweta County about a sheriff’s office K9 who was killed in the line of duty last year. 

His handler was injured in that same shootout with an armed motorist. The deputy, now with a new K9, is back on the streets after recently completing training.

Long road after shootout with armed motorist

Local perspective:

It’s a story of triumph over tragedy involving Coweta County Sheriff’s deputy Blaize Henderson and Draco. 

"Blaize and Draco, along with a couple of our other handlers, graduated from K9 school on April 4, so they are just recently getting out of school," said Sgt. Mark Storey of the Coweta County Sheriff’s K9 Division.

Death of Titan

The backstory:

Last November, Henderson and his partner at the time, K9 Titan, confronted an armed motorist after a high-speed chase. 

The man opened fire, wounding Henderson, and as Titan rushed to engage the man, he was shot to death. 

Storey says Titan’s sacrifice protected Henderson and others from further harm. "We lost Titan. Titan did the most fantastic thing a K9 could ever do. But we had to take some time, step back, and help Blaize continue in his law enforcement career and K9 handling career, and we’ve done that with Draco."

New beginning

What they're saying:

They began working together earlier this year. Like Titan, Draco is a multipurpose dog trained in apprehension, tracking, and drug detection. The sheriff's office says business leaders competed with each other after Titan’s death to purchase a new dog for the department in a show of community support. Draco was the result of that effort, and the sheriff’s office says it is grateful for all the support it has received.

Henderson and Draco graduated this month and are now on the streets. Sgt. Storey, the man who trained them both, says they’ve delivered. "Draco is going to be fantastic, young, energetic. He has developed a relationship with Blaize now. You can just see it. And I am excited to see what they contribute," he said.

We caught up with Henderson and Draco at Mantracker, the law enforcement training exercise sponsored by the sheriff’s office that draws K9 teams from across the southeast. Henderson says he’s recovered from his injuries from last November.

Interestingly, his patrol car still has Titan’s name on the back window where the K9s ride. Henderson and the sheriff's office say they just haven’t gotten around to changing it. But, they say this is a story that’s getting better by the day. "He’s going to be a father soon. He graduated from K9 school. It’s turned out to be a fantastic story," Storey said.