'Free Time Kitt': Braintree Police Remember Fallen K-9

BRAINTREE, MA — Braintree police are mourning a longtime police dog that was killed Friday.

K-9 Kitt was fatally shot by 34-year-old Andrew Homen, who also shot two Braintree police officers, authorities said.

One officer, Matthew Donaghue, was released from the hospital Saturday, WCVB reported. The other officer, Billy Cushing, remains hospitalized, but both are expected to recover from their injuries.

Homen was killed by police during the exchange of gunfire.

Kitt was with the Braintree Police Department for 12 years. He came out "guns blazing" from K-9 patrol school and was "never shy" to participate in police dog demonstrations or citizen police academies, the department wrote on Facebook.

"During your service you apprehended countless criminals, often in the dead of night, through thick brush, and insane weather. You found bad guys, wandered elderly, firearms and other ballistic evidence," police said.

"You went out a lion, protecting your dad and his partners," Braintree police tweeted in tribute to Kitt.

Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said the situation started around 12:45 p.m. Friday when police responded to a domestic situation at the Braintree Village apartments.

Homen, armed with two guns, fled into the woods, Police Chief Mark Dubois said. The officers were "lying in wait of an ambush," Morrissey said.

"There was an exchange of gunfire which killed the dog, wounded two officers, and mortally wounded the subject – a Brockton male in his 30s," Morrissey said.