During the early morning hours of Thursday, July 17, BSO K-9 Oozi was shot and killed while pursuing a dangerous suspect. The men and women of the Broward Sheriff's Office mourn the loss of Oozi and will forever honor his sacrifice.  Oozi, a Belgian Malinois, was a law enforcement patrol dog. Oozi and his handler, Deputy Jerry Wengert, received employee of the month honors in May 2008 for their apprehension of burglary suspects that tried running them over.  With 6,100 employees, including more than 2,800 certified deputies and more 600 fire rescue professionals, the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) is America's largest nationally accredited sheriff's department.

BSO K9 Killed In Shoot Out At Miami Beach Hospital
Charges Are Pending Against Delvin Lewis
MIAMI BEACH  A wild chase from North Broward to Miami Beach ended in the death of a police K-9 dog and the arrest of a Lauderdale Lakes man. The Broward Sheriff's Office said the incident began around 12: 30 a.m. when they received a call about shots being fired in the 3-hundred block of Northeast 35th Court.
When deputies arrived, Michelle Taylor said her boyfriend, 27-year old Delvin Lewis, had fired several shots at her during an argument and then took off. Taylor, who was not injured, gave deputies a description of Lewis' car; and police issued a "bolo", or "be on the lookout."
Lewis was spotted a short time later in the area of I-95 and Commercial Boulevard. More than a dozen officers joined the pursuit as the chase headed south into Miami Dade County. Nelda Fonticiella of Miami-Dade police said, "Once the vehicle entered Dade County, our officers tried to detain him the subject continued eluding police."  The chase came to an end outside of Mt. Sinai Medical Center when Lewis bailed out of the car and fired several shots at the deputies and other police officers. One of Lewis' bullets struck and killed BSO K-9 dog "Oozi."  "Oozi" was a seven and a half year old Belgian Malinois. He was assigned to Cooper City. He was trained in narcotics and had helped with hundreds of apprehensions throughout his career, including three dozen this year alone. Hospital personnel tried to save "Oozi" but he died on the scene.  Police fired back at Lewis and he was struck. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Charges are pending.
Lewis is no stranger to the law. In 2003, he was charged with injuring, or killing, a law enforcement animal. His record also includes drug charges, battery on a police officer, battery on a pregnant woman and resisting arrest.
More Information:
K-9 dog killed after Broward deputies trail suspect to Miami Beach
A police officer stands in front of the Mount Sinai Hospital on Miami Beach, where a fast speed chase came to an end on Thursday morning.  A Broward County Sheriff's Office K-9 was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire with a man in Miami Beach on Thursday morning. Police say it started as a domestic dispute at a house located at 309 NE 35 Court in Oakland Park. The suspect allgedly fired shots. No one there was injured. The suspect's vehicle was spotted at Commercial Boulevard and I-95 and a pursuit began. Dozens of officers from several different departments followed that vehicle down I-95 southbound and then eastbound on the 195.
The suspect then drove into the Mount Sinai Hospital campus. Once he was corned, police say the suspect opened fire, shooting and killing a Broward County Sheriff 's Canine Officer. The suspect was shot by police. He suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to the county trauma center, Jackson Memorial Hospital. The suspect has been identified as 27 year-old Delvin Lewis. Police are still on scene at the hospital but the medical center is open.
The chase, which included roughly 20 cruisers, ended near Mount Sinai Medical Center's emergency room -- the 4300 block of Alton Road. Authorities had the entire area locked down three hours after the shooting, but the area has reopened and the hospital's ER and other facilities are accessible, according to a Mount Sinai spokeswoman.  Here's how BSO said it happened: About 12:30 a.m. Thursday, BSO responded to a call of shots fired at 309 NE 35 Ct. in Oakland Park. Initial reports are it was a domestic situation, where the boyfriend -- believed to be Lewis -- fired at least one shot and then fled. His girlfriend was not injured. BSO issued a Be-On-The-Lookout alert for his vehicle, which authorities spotted near Commercial Boulevard and I-95. A chase ensued. It stretched all the way to Miami Beach, nearly 30 miles, until Lewis began shooting near Mount Sinai. He struck and killed the K-9, before cops shot him, ending the altercation.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
UPDATES
K9 Killed By Bullets From Police, Not Suspect
Oozi Got Into The Line Of Fire While Apprehending Suspect
Oozi, BSO K9 killed in the line of duty                             Delvin Lewis
 A memorial service will be held next week for a slain Broward Sheriff's Office K-9 dog that officials now say was killed by bullets from police and not the suspect. The memorial for Oozi, the 7 year old Belgian Malinois, will be held Wednesday afternoon at Cooper City High School. The police dog was fatally shot Thursday morning during pursuit of a suspect. Officers followed the suspect, 27-year-old Delvin Lewis, to Miami Beach after they received a call about shots being fired in the 300 block of NE 35th Court in Broward County.
When deputies arrived on the scene, Lewis' ex-girlfriend, Michael Taylor said Lewis had fired several shots at her during an argument and then took off.
Deputies spotted Lewis on I-95 and he led them on a chase into Miami-Dade County, which ended in the parking lot of Mt. Sinai Medical Center. According to a police report, Lewis made ''a reaching motion toward the floorboard, as if attempting to retrieve a handgun,'' and that's when BSO deputies and a Miami-Dade police officer opened fire. Oozi had already been let loose to help apprehend Lewis but entered the line of fire and was fatally wounded. According to the Miami-Dade arrest report released on Friday, police did not find a gun in Delvin Lewis' car. Lewis was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a motor vehicle on a law enforcement officer; aggravated fleeing and eluding; resisting an officer with violence; and principal in the death of a police dog, which is a felony. Oozi and his handler, Deputy Jerry Wengert, received employee of the month honors in May 2008 for their apprehension of burglary suspects that tried running them over.
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Broward K-9 killed on duty recalled as 'trusted partner and friend'
"Trusted partner and friend." Those are the words engraved on a small plaque on an urn holding the ashes of Oozi, a Broward Sheriff's Office K-9 killed in the line of duty. The block-shaped urn, along with Oozi's brown leather harness, silver choke chain, badge and a photograph of him and his handler are displayed in a glass case at the front of Cooper City High School's auditorium, where about 400 people are attending a memorial this afternoon. Officers wore black tape on their badges.
Three hundred and fifty spots have been reserved for police dogs and their handlers at the service, which started at 1 p.m. Chaplain Rick Braswell will officiate and Sheriff Al Lamberti will speak. Oozi, a 7-1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois, was shot last Thursday when deputies and Miami-Dade Police believed a man they had chased through two counties was reaching for a gun and the dog got into their line of fire, authorities said. "Oozi, I miss you. I love you. I'm sorry," Deputy Gerald Wengert, the dog's handler, said during the memorial.  Oozi died during a confrontation between officers and Lauderhill resident Delvin Lewis, 27, who authorities suspected of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in Oakland Park. More than two dozen police cruisers chased Lewis south on I-95 and then east to Miami Beach. When Lewis stopped in the parking lot of Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, officers from three agencies, including the Sheriff's Office, ordered him from his vehicle. When he refused, Wengert released the dog into Lewis' car, authorities said.
Officers opened fire on Lewis, wounding him three times, when he made a "reaching motion toward the floorboard, as if attempting to reach a handgun," a Miami-Dade police report said. The dog was killed. Lewis has been charged with aggressive fleeing and eluding, aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, resisting arrest with violence and being principal to injure or kill a police dog. Three deputies who were involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated, said Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Leljedal.  The agency has referred questions about what happened to Miami-Dade Police, who refused to say today whether Lewis had a gun in his car.  Police spokesman Robert Williams said ballistics tests will be conducted to determine whose gunfire killed Oozi. Williams declined to give further details on the case. "It's an open, ongoing investigation," Williams said. The memorial service, which will be an hour, will include a final tribute to Oozi, the presentation of an American flag to Wengert, and a tribute by the K-9 handlers and their dogs.  submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA