K-9 was shot and killed by fellow officer during suspect chase, investigation finds

ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4/Gray News) - K-9 Oya was shot and killed by a fellow officer in Missouri as they chased after a suspect in July 2025, an investigation confirmed this month.

Oya was a highly trained, specialized police dog who had been donated to the North County Police Cooperative.

Now, nine months after her line-of-duty death, First Alert 4 Investigates is uncovering the truth of what happened in the moments before Oya’s death, from the organization that donated her, a K-9 handler who worked alongside Oya and from official statements by the North County Police Cooperative.

First Alert 4 has repeatedly tried to obtain the body-camera footage of this incident from the North County Police Cooperative. However, the department continually refuses to release it, saying the investigation is still underway as a suspect is still at large.

But First Alert 4 was able to obtain a written statement from the department that outlines the incident around Oya’s death, which confirms a North County Police Cooperative officer used their weapon on Oya after being bitten.

Both sources and the North County Police Cooperative statement say that on July 30, 2025, K-9 Oya, her handler and a separate officer were in a foot pursuit.

They were chasing suspects on foot connected to a vehicle theft in the 6200 block of Wells Avenue in Wellston.

During the foot pursuit, K-9 Oya was killed.

The day after Oya’s death, First Alert 4 Investigates confirmed with sources Oya had been shot and killed by a North County Police Cooperative officer during the pursuit.

North County Police Cooperative’s official statement, released in 2025, did not mention how Oya died.

The August 2025 statement read in part, “The two suspects exited the crashed vehicle and fled on foot in two separate directions ultimately resulting in the death of K9 Oya, who was utilized to assist in the apprehension of one of the suspects.”

The department had previously never publicly acknowledged how Oya was killed or that she was shot by a North County Police Cooperative officer.

In April, the department said, “In the active foot pursuit of the felony suspects, NCPC handler attempted to recall K9 Oya during the foot pursuit without success and K9 Oya engaged an NCPC Officer who was close to apprehending one of the felony suspects in a fast footrace. K9 Oya would not release the NCPC officer, and to protect himself, the NCPC officer discharged his weapon upon K9 Oya when K9 Oya would not release, after attempts were made to have K9 Oya release her hold on the NCPC officer’s leg.”

It wasn’t until First Alert 4 Investigates tried to obtain body-camera footage of the incident that a lawyer for the North County Police Cooperative confirmed Oya was shot by one of its officers.

After North County Police Cooperative’s lawyer confirmed Oya was shot by an officer, the department released a statement outlining the incident.

North County Police Cooperative’s lawyer offered to let a reporter and producer watch the body-camera footage of the shooting at the department’s headquarters. However, the lawyer said the footage could not be released publicly because one of the suspects involved in the pursuit had not been taken into custody.

First Alert 4 Investigates sent the North County Police Cooperative a request for the public release of the shooting footage. We have also offered a sit-down interview opportunity with Chief John Buchannan. North County Police Cooperative’s lawyer told us the chief and the public information officer were unavailable for interviews.

July 30: The death of K-9 Oya

On the morning of July 30, two North County Police Cooperative officers began to pursue a stolen vehicle in Wellston with two suspects inside.

North County Police Cooperative body-camera footage shows Oya’s handler and another officer pursuing these suspects.

After crashing the car into a light pole, the two suspects got out and ran in different directions. One suspect took off down the street towards the intersection of Hodiamont and Dr. Martin Luther King Avenue.

Oya and the non-handling officer took off after that suspect, footage shows. As Oya ran after the officer, her handler can be heard calling after her to stop, but she did not.

The footage from Oya’s handler shows he started chasing after his K-9.

After rounding the corner at the intersection, footage shows the non-handler officer fall to the ground. While on the ground, the officer can be heard saying he’s being bitten and calling for Oya’s handler.

Ten seconds after falling to the ground, the officer took out his gun and shot Oya at least twice.

The handler officer’s camera showed him rounding the corner moments after shots began to ring out. The non-handler officer could be seen standing up and walking away as Oya’s handler approached her.

Footage then showed Oya’s handler picking her up and carrying her back to his cruiser as he apologized to her.

“I’m sorry. I had to,” the officer can be heard saying to Oya’s handler.

Justin Turley, who is no longer with the department, was a North County Police Cooperative supervisor and worked with the SWAT team at different times. He has worked with his K-9, Viktor, for three years, and worked alongside Oya and her handler.

Turley was called to the scene after Oya was shot.

“[My supervisor] came to me and said, ‘Our dog’s down,’” he said of the day. “And I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ He’s like, ‘Oya’s been shot.’”

Turley says he talked on the day of the shooting to both Oya’s handler and the officer who shot her.

According to Turley, Oya bit the non-handler officer after the two collided and tripped.

“She went and tripped that officer, and then he started freaking out,” Turley said. “Gun came out. He started hitting her over the head with a gun.”

The North County Police Cooperative disagrees.

“K9 Oya engaged an NCPC Officer who was close to apprehending one of the felony suspects in a fast footrace,” the department said in their statement on the incident. “K9 Oya would not release the NCPC officer, and to protect himself, the NCPC officer discharged his weapon upon K9 Oya when K9 Oya would not release, after attempts were made to have K9 Oya release her hold on the NCPC officer’s leg.”

Either way, the body-camera footage does not show why the officer fell.

Former officer raises concerns about officer training

Public pay records show the officer who shot Oya had worked for the North County Police Cooperative for two years before the shooting.

Turley says the officer was inexperienced.

This also wasn’t the first incident where this officer had to be spoken to about how he acted around Oya, according to Turley.

“Each bite that [Oya] has gotten, this officer has ran up to the dog, pushed the dog out of the way to get to the suspect,” Turley said.

Training is a problem across the North County Police Cooperative, according to Turley, and especially around K-9 units.

“And we all know when dogs are on bite, handler goes first,” Turley explained to First Alert 4. “They’re not going to bite the handlers.”

But they may bite anyone else.

Further, the officer who shot Oya was already planning to leave the North County Police Cooperative when the shooting happened, according to Turley.

When asked about how frequently other officers are trained alongside the K-9 units, North County Police Cooperative’s lawyer Doug Rudman said all officers are given annual training.

Turley says there wasn’t enough training and said he raised his concerns with Buchannan, the police chief.

“We’re like, hey, we need officers training with us so they know exactly what they’re doing,” Turley said. “So, mistakes like what happened to K-9 Oya doesn’t happen. He didn’t care. He didn’t want it.”

First Alert 4 Investigates requested to speak with Buchannan on camera and was declined. He has not commented on the situation.

The man who runs the organization that donated Oya and Viktor to the North County Police Cooperative, Andy Moulton, said he also thinks there wasn’t enough training with the K-9s.

“Besides the fact that this dog was shot and killed is that we missed a really awesome opportunity to fix a problem that was so blatantly obvious,” Moulton said. “To sit down as an organization and say, ‘OK, guys. Listen. We need to solve the lack of training issue here.’”

Where is the officer now

The officer who shot Oya left the department in November, a North County Police Cooperative spokesperson confirmed.

The North County Police Cooperative says the officer’s time with the department was “exemplary.”

Investigates also checked to see if that officer is working for any law enforcement agencies currently.

The officer does still have an active license in Missouri, but is not currently commissioned by any department in the state, the Missouri Department of Public Safety confirmed.

A search of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board officer look-up does not show he is actively commissioned with any department in Illinois.

Investigates reached out to this officer for comment through an email address linked to his name. We have not heard back, as of publication time.

K-9s donated to NCPC

“We’ve donated you guys two dogs. You killed one of them,” Moulton said.

Moulton trained and donated both Oya and Viktor through his foundation, Peace Maker Defense Group.

“We donate dogs and gear and cars and trucks and vests and plate carriers and medical kits and training and anything you could use,” Moulton said.

Moulton says over the lifetime of one of his police K-9s, his organization donates around $160,000 in equipment and training.

Moulton says he wanted to bring a “family protection” style dog to policing, saying the “classic police car shaking K-9″ has a bad rap.

Both Oya and Viktor were trained to be good with people, as well as good at their policing jobs.

“And you see this big, intimidating-looking dog, and then, all of a sudden, you realize it’s the sweetest thing in the world. Similar to the one sitting right behind me,” Moulton said of Viktor, who had taken up a space behind Moulton and Turley on a park picnic table during an interview in March. “But click of a button or a specific word, the dog goes into work mode.”

Moulton says when he got the call that Oya had been shot, he went to the animal hospital she was taken to. His concerns about the safety of the other K-9 unit in the North County Police Cooperative, Viktor, were growing.

“[Oya] was killed by an officer that had not a lot of experience,” Moulton told First Alert 4.

After the shooting death of Oya, Moulton says Turley called him, saying he wanted to leave the North County Police Cooperative and to take Viktor with him.

Turley says that wasn’t an easy process.

‘It broke my heart’: Turley’s struggle to get Viktor

“It broke my heart. It broke my family’s heart,” Turley said.

Turley told First Alert 4 Investigates that there has been tension between the K-9 units and leadership of the North County Police Cooperative for some time. He added that training and accreditation of the K-9s had been a struggle, and he regularly was working with Moulton to keep the dogs up to legal requirements.

“So, it just came down to the fact that our department didn’t care about our dogs because our dogs didn’t bring in money,” Turley claimed of his old chief.

After the Oya incident, Turley decided to leave the North County Police Cooperative and work for another department in St. Louis County. He wanted to bring Viktor with him, but found out he wouldn’t be able to right away.

This hit Turley hard, as he reminded First Alert 4 that the K-9 was donated to the North County Police Cooperative.

“They didn’t pay anything for this dog,” Turley said.

It was a rough revelation because Viktor lived with Turley as a pet when he was off the clock. By the time Turley was leaving the North County Police Cooperative, Viktor had been with him for three years.

Turley and Moulton say the North County Police Cooperative chief didn’t want to give Viktor back to him without payment.

“They wanted money,” Turley said. “They were trying to charge me almost $50,000.”

Turley says the original amount the chief had asked him for was more than he could afford.

Turley and Moulton said they fought against the $50,000 request.

“So, they wanted two grand and it was a battle,” Turley said.

First Alert 4 has not been able to independently verify the alleged request for $50,000. However, Turley provided a receipt signed by the Vinita Park City Clerk for a payment of $2,000.

The check reads, “For: Purchase of K-9 Viktor.”

Turley says he would’ve paid any amount to get his dog out of the department because he wanted Viktor back.

In a response requested for this story, a North County Police Cooperative spokesperson said the $2,000 was an agreed-upon fee for the transfer of Viktor back to Turley.

“This transfer was approved by all parties, and an agreed payment of $2,000.00 was made to the NCPC for K9 Victor,” the spokesperson said.

“The chief wouldn’t even meet me when I went to go pay the two grand,” Turley said.

He gave it over to someone else at Vinita Park City Hall.

Turley says during the transition, Viktor was kept in a kennel, which caused the dog a lot of stress.

“They pretty much imprisoned my dog,” Turley claimed.

Turley is Viktor’s third handler. He says Viktor gets separation anxiety when he’s away from his family.

While in the kennel, Turley says Viktor suffered, losing weight and even losing teeth from biting the bars of his kennel.

Since leaving the North County Police Cooperative, Turley has been named employee of the month at his new department and Viktor can be seen all over the department’s social media pages. Turley says he likes his new department a lot more and reports that he and Viktor have already gotten pounds of illicit drugs off the streets.

“It’s nice that I finally get to be somewhere where they enjoy the dog,” Turley said.

Car theft suspects

Seven months after the July 30 car theft and pursuit, St. Louis County prosecutors charged one of two suspects in the case.

Denzel C. Tucker was charged on Feb. 18 with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and aggravated fleeing a stop or detention.

At the time of the pursuit, Tucker was serving probation from a 2022 tampering with a motor vehicle charge.

Court records show Tucker had a probation violation filed 12 days after Oya’s death, and then another filed on Feb. 3.

On Feb. 6, a judge signed a warrant for Tucker’s arrest for his probation violations. Court documents show Tucker was arrested on that warrant on Feb. 19.

As of publication time, a second suspect has not been charged in connection with this theft.

‘They didn’t want it to get out’: Oya’s memorial

“So usually, [K-9’s] get everything a regular officer gets,” Turley said of police K-9s killed in the line of duty.

He added that Oya’s handler had requested full honors for the dog. That is a common practice in law enforcement, and First Alert 4 has reported many times on the services for other K-9s passing.

Despite this, Turley says Oya didn’t get the official police funeral and service she deserved.

“They didn’t have bags for the dog. We didn’t have a procession for the dog, either. It was just [Oya’s handler’s] car, my car and our supervisor’s car.”

The North County Police Cooperative disagrees with Turley.

“In honor of K9 Oya, the NCPC had a police procession with many police department K9 units who participated in the memorial service that was open to the public at James W. McGee Memorial Park on August 12, 2025,” the department said in an April 8 statement.

Turley claims Buchannan didn’t want Oya to have a normal K-9 memorial.

“They didn’t want it to get out to the news or anything like that,” he said.

A North County Police Cooperative spokesperson disagrees with Turley’s account, sending a statement related to her memorial saying:

“In honor of K9 Oya, the NCPC had a police procession with many police department K9 units who participated in the memorial service that was open to the public at James W. McGee Memorial Park on August 12, 2025. The NCPC further honored K9 Oya by featuring her in its 2026 Calander, and placed K9 Oya in the NCPC Internal Memorial for Fallen Officers. K9 Oya was placed on the Officer Down Memorial Fallen K9 Page. K9 Oya’s NCPC handler was presented with a memorial flag and the cremated remains of K9 Oya at the memorial service. In addition, a memorial tree and memorial stone in K9 Oya’s name have been placed in the James W. McGee Memorial Park. The NCPC is in the process of updating its online memorial and other tributes are also under consideration. K9 Oya remains in the hearts of the North County Police Cooperative and Oya’s service to the NCPC will not be forgotten.”

Oya will be honored nationally later this year by the National Police Dog Foundation during a ceremony honoring 23 fallen K-9s.

St. Louis County Police has a 45-day policy on critical incident footage

While the North County Police Cooperative says it cannot release footage of an ongoing police investigation, other departments in the St. Louis region have policies around body-camera footage in critical incidents and how quickly it is released.

For the St. Louis County Police Department, they will release body-camera footage within 45 days of a critical incident, by policy, and even if it’s a critical incident involving officers shooting a suspect..

“We pride ourselves on being a leader, especially when it comes to transparency,” Vera Clay, St. Louis County Police Department’s public information supervisor, said.

Clay says transparency and trust are the main reasons her department has taken the initiative to craft policy for body-camera footage being released.

“We never want the public to have to figure out whether or not we’re telling the truth,” Clay said. “We’re going to come out and we’re going to tell you what we know. And if we messed up, we messed up and we’re going to own that.”

Last week, the department released body-camera footage from their investigation into an officer shooting in Overland that left a suspect dead.

Clay said the county’s relationship with body cameras started during the 2014 Ferguson protests.

“There was a lot of community outcry for officers to have body cameras, and, of course, St. Louis County Police Department embraced that request.”

She said the department began testing out body-worn cameras around 2017. By 2020, they were fully implemented.

Clay says they picked 45 days after researching other police departments’ policies around the country. She said 45 days is an amount of time they feel they can thoroughly review the footage before releasing it to the public.

“Our Detectives Bureau, along with our body-camera unit, as well as public information office, we all sit down, we get together, we look at all the video that is there,” Clay said of the department’s process of going through these critical incident videos. “It does not matter whether it looks good or bad or what. The video is the video.”

Clay says releasing body-camera footage ensures trust from the public, being able to show if an officer was in the wrong.

Body-camera footage, Clay said, also can absolve an officer of wrongdoing.

“There are instances where those body-worn cameras have actually been able to help officers who may have been accused of some wrongdoing.”

The St. Louis County Police Department was the first department to start utilizing a policy for the release of information with body-camera footage, Clay said.

“It protects the officers, it protects the citizens, and, of course, it protects the trust that the community has in us,” Clay added.