COLUMBIA, S.C. — Wednesday morning marked a somber moment for South Carolina’s Law Enforcement Division as agents from around the state came together to remember SLED K9 Coba.
Hundreds gathered at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy to pay their respects to the K9, who was tragically shot and killed in the line of duty on June 11th. Emotions ran high as those who knew Coba best spoke about the K9’s sacrifice. SLED Chief Mark Keel spoke of his faith while recounting the events that led to Coba's death.
“The Lord sent an angel. He sent Coba as that protective shield, that angel, so that all our folks went home that day,” Keel said.
When an agent falls in the line of duty, SLED makes no distinction between human and K9 agents. Lieutenant Keith Trower recalled Coba’s career and record.
“He had over 300 deployments, 16 criminal apprehensions, numerous successful tracks, and numerous criminal surrenders. There was one thing that you could always say about him, he was always ready to put himself in harm’s way for his teammates,” Trower recalled.
Coba’s handler, Cole Powell, spoke about the morning his K9 partner’s life ended.
“Tuesday morning, Coba was surrounded by people who actually, truly loved him. Our training and our fate were met in the final seconds of his life. I will forever be thankful for him and the memories that we have will live on forever,” Powell told the crowd of mainly law enforcement professionals.
Powell also thanked his fellow SLED team members as he promised, "We'll be back, and better than ever."
Trower ended his remarks by saying, “There’s a phrase that’s been hanging in my office for a very long time, and that phrase says, 'The only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.' Evil didn’t win that day because Coba was there to protect his teammates.”
This is the second death of a SLED K9 in less than a year. Last September, K9 Rico was killed in Charleston County.