Hundreds of police officers gather in Pittsburgh to honor slain K-9
Under gray skies and lowered flags, hundreds of law enforcement officers — many flanked by their K-9 partners — gathered in the cold Thursday morning to pay respects to slain Port Authority police dog Aren.
“It changes your life,” said Indiana Township Officer Scott Palmer, who spoke at the memorial, of becoming a K-9 officer. “Not only do you know your dog, your dog knows you.”
The estimated 350 law enforcement officers came from as near as their respective Pittsburgh police zone stations and as far as Meadville to pay their respects and support Aren's handler, Port Authority Police Officer Brian O'Malley. Nearly 150 officers joined a red and blue lights-flashing procession that drove to the memorial just off North Shore Drive.
The procession began on the East Busway. It was near the East Busway in Wilkinsburg that Aren was stabbed to death Sunday while trying to apprehend a suspect. Police shot and killed the man, Bruce Tyrone Kelley Jr.
The deadly incident began about 3:30 p.m. Sunday when two Port Authority officers came across Kelley and his father, Bruce T. Kelley Sr., drinking in a gazebo near Linear Trail. Both men fought with officers before fleeing. The officers called for backup and attempted unsuccessfully to Taser Kelley Jr. before they released Aren. The man pulled out a knife and stabbed the dog in the mouth before two officers, including O'Malley, shot him.
County police and the district attorney are reviewing the shooting. District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. Thursday afternoon released video footage of a portion of the foot pursuit. It did not show the stabbing or the shooting. He said county police have not yet drawn any definitive conclusions on the incident.
O'Malley did not speak during or after the memorial service, during which he sat with head down, looking pained at times, and flanked by family and friends.
Aren, a 5-year-old German shepherd, came to Pittsburgh from the Czech Republic when he was about 13 months old, according to Port Authority police Chief Matthew Porter.
“Aren was fluent in three languages — the first being German, the second being English, and the third being ‘Brian,'” Porter said, his voice choking.
Sgt. Greg Beveridge of the Meadville police said he spent much of the 90-minute drive putting himself in O'Malley's shoes.
“It's tear-jerking,” he said and gestured to his K-9, Lilo. “I was driving down here and just kept thinking about if anything ever happened to this guy ...”
Several staff members from the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society walked dogs from the Western Avenue facility to the memorial, and perhaps 100 civilians turned out in the cold, gray morning.
“It just ... it sucks, really,” said Chuck Goessler, 49, of Brighton Heights. He said he and his dog, Coco Maria, came to pay their respects. He said they'd visited the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Sunday night to leave a rawhide bone at the base of the statue, which depicts an officer and K-9.
John Mankevich first met O'Malley when the officer pulled him over for a traffic violation right after O'Malley started with the department. O'Malley and Mankevich's nephew attended college together and were close friends, he said.
Mankevich, 69, of McCandless, who brought his German shepherd Arne to the memorial, noted that Aren is the eighth police K-9 killed in the line of duty nationally so far this year.
“It just breaks your heart,” he said. “It's out of control. People have no respect.”
Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-8519 or mguza@tribweb.com.
