Last week, a funeral was held in rural Kentucky for Jason Ellis, a K-9 officer who was killed in an alleged ambush. Over 1,000 people attended the funeral, including many of his fellow police officers from neighboring states. One touching moment during the service was when Ellis’ police dog, Fido, placed his paw on the closed casket. Photographer Jonathan Palmer captured this heart-wrenching moment in a photo.
On the day that Ellis was fatally shot while cleaning up debris on a highway off-ramp in Bardstown, Kentucky, Fido was not by his side. The incident happened on May 25 and it remains unsolved. Bardstown is a small town with a tight-knit community of around 12,000 residents, located approximately 40 miles southeast of Louisville.
Numerous K-9 officers gathered to pay their respects at the funeral, and as mentioned in the Herald Leader, their furry companions could be heard howling from the police vehicles.
As soon as the honor guard was called, many officers stood up straight. Meanwhile, the 60 police dogs present at the event barked loudly in response to the 21-gun salute. The late Ellis, who had served as a police officer for six years, was honored by the Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin, who made a promise to pursue and capture the perpetrator responsible for his death.
As the chief, I want to reassure you that we will not give up. However, it’s important for you to know that you are the true hero here. So, take a break, Jason my friend, and trust us to handle things. It’s with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Ellis, a loving husband to Amy and father to Hunter and Parker. He passed away while doing what he loved most – serving as a police officer.